Abstract
The birth of a child is often accompanied by elation and celebration, but when a birth results in admittance to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the typical emotions of joy and celebration may be tempered with anxiety and fear. Parents with a religious and spiritual worldview may find their faith and spiritual lens is an important aspect of coping with their NICU experience. There is a dearth of literature on this issue, and thus a pilot study was implemented that included eight mothers and fathers of babies admitted to the NICU. Parents responded to a brief interview 4 to 6 weeks after discharge that focused on how their religious or spiritual worldview changed as a result of their NICU experience, how they coped with their premature newborn after discharge, and the perceived impact on their spousal/partner relationship. Results indicated that parents who presented to the NICU with a religious or spiritual background indicated their faith grew as a result of their experience in the NICU. Parents without a religious or spiritual worldview also reported being able to adequately manage their NICU experience and reported little to no change in their religious or spiritual lives. Further, parents reported they coped well after their babies' discharge from the NICU and had supportive spousal relationships. This pilot study supported assessment of religious and spiritual experiences as a salient aspect in NICU parents' lives. Further study is necessary to elucidate how religiosity and spirituality can be strengthened for families during this challenging time.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brelsford, G. M., Fulmer, M. E., Harrison, M. A., & Xu, X. (2014). Religious coping and gratitude in emerging adulthood. Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, 25, 32–52. http://search.proquest.com/docview/1606031261?accountid=13158.
Dicicco-Bloom, B., & Crabtree, B. F. (2006). The qualitative research interview. Medical Education, 40, 314–321. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2929.2006.02418.x.
Doering, L. V., Moser, D. K., & Dracup, K. (2000). Correlates of anxiety, hostility, depression, and psychosocial adjustment in parents of NICU infants. Neonatal Network, 19, 15–23.
Doucette, J., & Pinelli, J. (2004). The effects of family resources, coping, and strains on family adjustment 18 to 24 months after the NICU experience. Advances in Neonatal Care, 4, 92–104.
Duffy, M. (2007). Narrative inquiry: the method. In P. L. Munhall (Ed.), Nursing research: A qualitative perspective (pp. 401–421). Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett.
Exline, J. J., Pargament, K. I., Grubbs, J. B., & Yali, A. M. (2014). The Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale: development and initial validation. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 6(3), 208–222. doi:10.1037/a0036465.
Gray, P. H., Edwards, D. M., O’Callaghan, M. J., & Cuskelly, M. (2012). Parenting stress in mothers of preterm infants during early infancy. Early Human Development, 88, 45–49. doi:10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2011.06.014.
Hayward, R. D., & Krause, N. (2014). Religion, mental health, and well-being: social aspects. In V. Saroglou (Ed.), Religion, personality, and social behavior (pp. 255–280). New York: Psychology Press. http://search.proquest.com/docview/1551029337?accountid=13158.
Holditch-Davis, D., Bartlett, T. R., Blickman, A. L., & Miles, M. S. (2003). Posttraumatic stress symptoms in mothers of premature infants. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing, 32, 161–171. doi:10.1177/0884217503252035.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer.
Linden, M. A., Cepeda, I. L., Synnes, A., & Grunau, R. E. (2015). Stress in parents of children born very preterm is predicted by child externalizing behavior and parent coping at age 7 years. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 100(6), 554–558. doi:10.1136/archdischild-2014-307390.
Mahoney, A. (2010). Religion in families, 1999 2009: a relational spirituality framework. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72(4), 805–827. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00732.x.
Mahoney, A., & Cano, A. (2014). Introduction to the special section on religion and spirituality in family life: pathways between relational spirituality, family relationships and personal well-being. Journal of Family Psychology, 28(6), 735–738. doi:10.1037/fam0000041.
McConnell, K. M., Pargament, K. I., Ellison, C. G., & Flannelly, K. J. (2006). Examining the links between spiritual struggles and symptoms of psychopathology in a national sample. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62(12), 1469–1484. doi:10.1002/jclp.20325.
Melnyk, B. M., Alpert-Gillis, L. J., Hensel, P. B., Cable-Beiling, R. C., & Rubenstein, J. S. (1997). Helping mothers cope with a critically ill child: a pilot test of the COPE intervention. Research in Nursing & Health, 20, 3–14.
Meyer, E. C., Garcia Coll, C. T., Seifer, R., Ramos, A., Kilis, E., & Oh, W. (1995). Psychological distress in mothers of preterm infants. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 16(6), 412–417 http://search.proquest.com/docview/618917370?accountid=13158.
Montirosso, R., Provenzi, L., Calciolari, G., & Borgatti, R. (2012). Measuring maternal stress and perceived support in 25 Italian NICUs. Acta Paediatrica, 101, 136–142. doi:10.1111/j.1651-2227.2011.02440.x.
Paloutzian, P. F., & Park, C. L. (Eds.) (2013). Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality (2nd ed., ). New York: Guilford Press.
Pargament, K. I. (1997). The psychology of religion and coping: theory, research, practice. New York: The Guilford Press.
Pargament, K. I. (2013). Spirituality as an irreducible human motivation and process. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 23(4), 271–281. doi:10.1080/10508619.2013.795815.
Pargament, K. I., Smith, B. W., Koenig, H. G., & Perez, L. (1998). Patterns of positive and negative religious coping with major life stressors. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 37, 710–724.
Pargament, K. I., Koenig, H. G., & Perez, L. (2000). The many methods of religious coping: development and initial validation of the RCOPE. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 56, 519–543.
Pattison, S. (2007). Absent friends in medical humanities. Journal of Medical Ethics: Medical Humanities, 33, 65–66. doi:10.1136/jmh.2007.000263.
Pinelli, J. (2000). Effects of family coping and family resources on family adjustment and parental stress in the acute phase of the NICU experience. Neonatal Network, 19(6), 27–37.
Shaw, R. J., Deblois, T., Ikuta, L., Ginzburg, K., Fleisher, B., & Koopman, C. (2006). Acute stress disorder among parents of infants in the neonatal intensive care nursery. Psychosomatics, 47, 206–212.
Snodgrass, J. (2012). A psychospiritual, family-centered theory of care for mothers in the NICU. Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling, 66(1), 1–11.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by a Research Council Grant from Penn State Harrisburg. Dr. Doheny receives salary support for research by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health under award number 1R01DK099350.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Brelsford, G.M., Doheny, K.K. Religious and Spiritual Journeys: Brief Reflections from Mothers and Fathers in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Pastoral Psychol 65, 79–87 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-015-0673-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-015-0673-1