exploration of the needs and potential spiritual capacities of mothers of premature infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit: a qualitative study

Background: the birth of a premature baby and the long treatment process lead to conflict and inconsistency between the hope, values, and beliefs of mothers and the occurrence of spiritual distress. this study aims to explore the needs and potential spiritual capacities of mothers of premature babies admitted to the nicu.methods: this qualitative content analysis study included 15 mothers of premature infants hospitalized in four neonatal intensive care units in mashhad, iran, in 2021. the participants were selected using purposeful sampling and engaged in deep, semi-structured interviews with the fica (faith, importance, community, address) questionnaire. the study included mothers of premature babies born between 28 and 32 weeks who were hospitalized for at least three days, did not have mental disorders, and were identified as iranian or muslim. the data were analyzed using the content analysis method developed by granheim and lundman.results: the data analysis revealed four main themes. the first theme referred to potential spiritual capacities, with subthemes including belief in a divine source, belief in religious rituals, and empathetic support. the other three themes refer to spiritual needs, including “challenges of faith,” encompassing subthemes of doubts in beliefs and guilt, “need for compassionate care,” which includes subthemes related to the necessity of a deep connection between the nurse and the mother, the need for dignity in care, and finally, ‘need for value and positive expectations,’ featuring subthemes addressing the challenges of meaning of life and the need for hope, highlights the spiritual needs of mothers.conclusion: many parents of premature babies share similar spiritual needs. this research provides a new perspective for understanding the spiritual needs of premature baby mothers. nurses should assess these needs and design appropriate interventions according to their potential spiritual capacities.