Anxiety levels of mothers with newborns in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Turkey

Objective: to compare the anxiety levels of mothers with newborns in a neonatal intensive care unit (nicu) and mothers with healthy newborns in a postpartum care service (pcs). methods: this descriptive study was conducted in state and medical school hospitals located in eskisehir and afyon, turkey. the first 200 mothers, including mothers with newborns in a pcs (n=100) and mothers with newborns in a nicu (n=100); participants were followed starting march 1, 2014.questionnaires to determine the characteristics of mothers and newborns were used as data collection tools, including the state-trait anxiety inventory scale (stai tx-1 – stai tx-2). results: trait anxiety levels were not significantly different between mothers with newborns in the nicu and mothers with newborns in pcs (t=0.588, p=0.557), whereas state anxiety levels were significantly different between the two groups (t=-5.109, p=<0.001). the state anxiety levels of mothers whose infants were in the nicu were determined to be higher compared to those of mothers whose infants were in pcs. conclusion: being a mother of a sick newborn can elevate anxiety and lead to in mothers. during this challenging time, the support of nurses can increase mothers’ abilities to cope with the stress of a sick newborn.