Nurses’ Attitude Toward Nursing Behaviors Which Facilitate the Grief Work of Parents With Premature Neonates

Background: The parental grief responses related to the birth of a premature neonate may intensify with hospitalization of the child in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Therefore, it is necessary that health care providers particularly nurses who are mostly in direct contact with the parents provide them with enough support to go through the process of grief.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the nurses’ attitude about nursing behaviors which facilitate parents’ grief work related to having a premature neonate in the NICU.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed among 39 nurses working in NICUs in Al-Zahra, Kodakan and Taleghani hospitals, Tabriz, Iran in November 2011. Data collection was performed using the Fordham Scale (1989) which classifies the nursing behaviors that facilitate the grief work of parents with premature neonates in the NICU in five main dimensions. Data were explored via frequency distribution, percentage, mean and standard deviation. Data were analyzed with Chi-square test and Spearman Correlation coefficient.

Results: The mean age of nurses was 34.4 ± 7.3 years, and the mean of work experience in the NICU was 6.7 ± 3.7 years. The dimensions which were mostly provided via nursing behaviors to the parents were “Providing an environment that promotes personal development” (58.7%) and “Guiding another” (58.6%). The least provided dimensions were also “supporting physically or psychologically” (40.9%), “Acting for or doing for” (47.5%) and “Teaching another” (56%). Also, there was significant inverse relation between nurses’ attitude with nurses’ work experience (r = - 0.40, P = 0.01) and work hours in week (r = - 0.47, P = 0.004).

Conclusions: This study shows that the nursing supports and nursing behaviors in NICUs are almost desirably provided by the nurses. As there is no supportive program in Iran for the parents with premature neonates, compiling and implementing a supportive program is recommended in this regard.