Effect of Spiritual Care on Hope and Self-Transcendence of Mothers of Premature Neonates Hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Premature birth and hospitalization in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) is a critical issue for parents, especially mothers. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of spiritual care on hope and self-transcendence in mothers with premature newborns hospitalized in the NICUs. This quasi-experimental, single-group study was conducted using time series analysis. The sample consisted of 30 mothers with premature neonates hospitalized in Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Maraqeh, Iran. The participants were selected through a convenience sampling method following the inclusion criteria. The data were collected using the demographic characteristic forms of mothers and the clinical status of infants, as well as the hope and self-transcendence scales of the mothers with premature neonates admitted to the NICU. The data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 19) through descriptive statistics (i.e., frequency distribution, mean and standard deviation) and repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). The findings show a significant difference among the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages in terms of the mean scores of hope and self-transcendence using repeated measure ANOVA (P<0.001). Moreover, in examining the effect of spiritual care on hope and self-transcendence in mothers, the results of repeated measures ANOVA showed that there was a difference among the pre-test, post-test and follow-up stages in terms of the mean scores of mothers’ hope, (P<0.001, F=53.133, and Eta-squared=0.639). Moreover, a significant difference was observed among the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up phases regarding the mean scores of self-transcendence (P<0.001, F=131.239, and Eta-squared=0.814). Since spirituality can lead to an increase in hope and self-transcendence of mothers with premature infants hospitalized in the NICUs, this approach can be used as an appropriate intervention method to help improve their adaptation and peace of mind. Therefore, barriers to providing these types of care and managing them must be identified so that nurses in the NICUs can use them.