The Correlation between Attachment Behaviors and Fear Of COVID-19 in Mothers with Neonates Admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Hospitals Under the Supervision of Iran University of Medical Sciences in the Covid-19 Pandemic 2021

Background and Aim: Infant hospitalization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) causes loss or delay in maternal and infant attachment. On the other hand, quarantine and the limits of social distancing during the Covid 19 virus epidemic have psychological consequences, including an increased fear of Covid 19 infection. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between attachment behaviors and fear of Covid 19 in mothers with neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences in covid-19 pandemic. Method: In this descriptive-correlational study, 195 mothers with neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit in 1400 in selected educational and medical centers of Iran University of Medical Sciences participated. Data collection tools; the form of demographic information was Corona Fear Questionnaire (FCoV-19S) and Maternal and Infant Attachment Behavior Questionnaire (Avant Questionnaire (1981)) which was completed by the researcher. Data were analyzed by SPSS software using independent t-test, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney and ANOVA. Results: Most of the mothers (89.7%) were housewives. Most of the mothers had a diploma level of education (37 percent), the most common cause of hospitalization was related to infant jaundice (32.3 percent). The average score of fear of covid-19 among the mothers participating in the study was 19.04 with a standard deviation of 5.40, which indicates an average level of fear. Also, the average score of mothers' attachment behaviors was 50.65 with a standard deviation of 12.70, which indicates a low degree of attachment. No significant relationship was observed between the fear of Covid 19 and the infant's mother's attachment (P<0.05). Conclusions: Mothers ‘attachment was low and their fear of covid-19 was almost high. However, there was no significant correlation between the fear of covid-19 and mother's attachment behavior to the neonate. It seems that it is necessary to pay attention to effective factors in promoting emotional attachment between mothers and neonates hospitalized in the intensive care unit. It is also recommended that the medical staff and nurses pay attention to this group of mothers in pandemics such as Covid-19 and use strategies to decrease their fear of getting and transmitting the disease.