Effect of Spiritual Care Based on “Ghalbe Salim” Model on Anxiety among Mothers with Premature Newborns Admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Background: When a neonate is born prematurely and admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the mother usually experiences high levels of anxiety that can disrupt the maternal bond, as well as the natural course of neonatal development. Since spirituality is one of the significant factors affecting anxiety, the present study was designed to evaluate the effect of spiritual care based on the “Ghalbe Salim” model on anxiety in mothers with premature neonates. Methods: In this clinical trial, a total of 60 mothers with premature neonates who were admitted to the NICUs of Hafez and Hazrat-e-Zainab hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, were recruited through convenience sampling during January to November 2017. The study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, one of the hospitals was randomly designated as the control group, and the other one was selected as the intervention group. In the second stage, the interventions commenced again after switching the sampling setting. Mothers in the intervention group received four 30-minute sessions of spiritual care based on the “Ghalbe Salim” model every other day, and their anxiety level was assessed before and after the intervention using State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y) by Spielberger. The data were analyzed using Chi-squared test, independent t-test, paired sample t-test, and Mann-Whitney U test. Results: There were no significant differences between the intervention and control groups before the intervention in terms of mean state and trait anxiety scores (P>0.05). However, after the intervention, a significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of both state and trait anxiety scores (P=0.001). Conclusion: According to our findings, spiritual care based on the “GhalbeSalim” model was effective in reducing the anxiety level in mothers with premature neonates.