Explain the Religious Behaviors of Mothers during Child Hospitalization: A Qualitative Study

One of the main sources of tension and anxiety for the family is the crisis caused by the disease and hospitalization of the child. Today, attention to the emotional and spiritual needs of families in the care process has been known as one of the main priorities for improving pediatric care conditions. Understanding the religious behaviors of mothers during illness of children and hospitalization may help us to response their spiritual needs better. This study aimed to understand the experiences and perspectives of mothers from religious practices during child hospitalization at the hospital.
This qualitative research was conducted in Teaching Pediatric Hospital affiliated to Golestan University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The sampling was based on purposeful with maximum variation. Nineteen mothers of the hospitalized children were participated. Data saturation was the criteria for termination of sampling. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed according to conventional qualitative content analysis. All ethical issues were observed. Moreover, the authors did not report conflict of interest.
Analysis of data from the participant's experiences, leading to the formation of two main themes "Improving health-preserving" and "acceptance -compatibility" with sub-themes "achieve peace, hope, spiritual tolerance". Quran reading, muttering to God, prayer, praying were the spiritual behvaiours of mothers that were mentioned repeatedly in interviews.
The results of the study showed that religious beliefs and religious behaviors can be an effective way to promote mental health in mothers of children admitted to hospital.