The effect of reminiscence on distress tolerance and spiritual health of mothers with a premature newborn admitted on neonatal intensive care unit of Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Isfahan (1400)

Background and objectives: Hospitalization in neonatal intensive care unit is a psychological crisis for the family. Reminiscence has positive effects on improving mental health. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of reminiscence writing on distress tolerance and spiritual health of mothers with hospitalized newborns. Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed in 1400 in the intensive care unit of Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Isfahan with the presence of 40 mothers of newborns admitted to the intensive care unit in 1400. During the hospitalization of the newborns in the hospital, the mothers of the experimental group recorded their newborn's daily memories in a notebook for half an hour every day for six days. Data collection tools were demographic questionnaires, Simmons and Gaher distress tolerance questionnaire, and Levutzin & Ellison spiritual questionnaire which were completed by mothers in both groups. At the descriptive level, mean, standard deviation, frequency distribution tables and at the inferential level, Chi-square, Fisher's exact, independent t-test and Mann-Whitney tests were used. Results: The distress tolerance and the spiritual health score of the mothers in the experimental group before the intervention were 45.03 ± 5.57 and 39.63 ± 18.16, respectively, which after the intervention were 56.95 ± 12.32 and 68/60 ± 30/07. The score of distress tolerance and spiritual health after the intervention in the experimental group was significantly higher than the control. Conclusion: Reminiscence in mothers of newborns admitted to neonatal intensive care unit can affect the anxiety and spiritual health of mothers.