The effect of spiritual self-care education on stress level and spiritual health of mothers of premature newborns hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit at Bushehr Persian Gulf Martyrs Hospital
Determining the Effect of Spiritual Self-Care Education on the Level of Stress and Spiritual Well-Being of Mothers with Premature Infants Admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Shahid Khalij Fars Hospital in Bushehr
Design
The study is a quasi-experimental trial with sequential groups. Randomization and blinding will not be performed. The sample size will consist of 96 mothers of preterm infants.
Settings and conduct
Following the approval of the proposal and obtaining the ethics code from the Vice Chancellery for Research of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, as well as securing the IRCT code and necessary permits to access the research setting, sampling will commence upon submitting an official letter of introduction to the head of Persian Gulf Martyrs Hospital in Bushehr. To prevent potential communication between the control and intervention groups, sampling will first be conducted for the control group at the beginning of the study. After all questionnaires from the control group have been completed, sampling for the intervention group will begin, and spiritual self-care training will be provided to them.
Participants/Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: the mother's willingness to participate in the study; minimum age of 18 years old; adherence to the Islamic faith; proficiency in the Persian language.
Exclusion criteria: history of preterm delivery; previous neonatal death; congenital anomalies in the infant as indicated in the medical record; the mother experiencing severe mental health disorders based on self-report.
Intervention groups
Control Group: They received routine hospital training and interventions and will not receive any new training.
Intervention Group: Spiritual self-care training will be provided.
Main outcome variables
Spiritual Well-Being; Parental Stress
General information
Reason for update
Acronym
IRCT registration information
IRCT registration number:IRCT20250530065981N1
Registration date:2025-07-18, 1404/04/27
Registration timing:registered_while_recruiting
Last update:2025-07-18, 1404/04/27
Update count:0
Registration date
2025-07-18, 1404/04/27
Registrant information
Name
Malihe Khezri
Name of organization / entity
Country
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Phone
+98 77 3332 2081
Email address
m.s.khezri66@gmail.com
Recruitment status
Recruitment complete
Funding source
Expected recruitment start date
2025-07-14, 1404/04/23
Expected recruitment end date
2025-10-22, 1404/07/30
Actual recruitment start date
empty
Actual recruitment end date
empty
Trial completion date
empty
Scientific title
The effect of spiritual self-care education on stress level and spiritual health of mothers of premature newborns hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit at Bushehr Persian Gulf Martyrs Hospital
Public title
Investigating the effect of spiritual self-care education on stress level and spiritual health of mothers of premature newborns
Purpose
Education/Guidance
Inclusion/Exclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria:
The mother's willingness to participate in the study
Minimum age of 18 years
Adherence to the Islamic faith
Proficiency in the Persian language
Ability to read and write
Attendance of at least one visit with the infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
The infant's gestational age between 24 weeks and 36 weeks plus six days
At least three days have passed since the infant's admission to the NICU
Exclusion criteria:
History of preterm delivery
Previous neonatal death
Congenital anomalies in the infant as indicated in the medical record
The mother experiencing severe mental health disorders based on self-report
The mother suffering from severe physical illnesses based on self-report
A history of the mother's use of psychoactive substances or illicit drugs
Presence of complications during delivery (e.g., instrumental delivery, severe postpartum hemorrhage, severe pre-eclampsia, and eclampsia) as noted in the medical record
Lack of ability to read the Quran
Employment of the mother within the healthcare system
The mother experiencing stressful events (such as divorce, the death of close relatives, etc.) within the preceding three months
Reluctance to continue participation in the study
Age
From 6 months old to 8 months old
Gender
Both
Phase
N/A
Groups that have been masked
No information
Sample size
Target sample size:
96
Randomization (investigator's opinion)
N/A
Randomization description
Blinding (investigator's opinion)
Not blinded
Blinding description
Placebo
Not used
Assignment
Parallel
Other design features
Secondary Ids
empty
Ethics committees
1
Ethics committee
Name of ethics committee
Research Ethics Committees of Bushehr province university of medical sciences
Street address
Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Moallem St, Bushehr, Iran
City
Bushehr
Province
Boushehr
Postal code
7514633341
Approval date
2023-08-09, 1402/05/18
Ethics committee reference number
IR.BPUMS.REC.1402.106
Health conditions studied
1
Description of health condition studied
Mothers with Preterm Newborns
ICD-10 code
ICD-10 code description
Primary outcomes
1
Description
Spiritual health scores of mothers with premature babies
Timepoint
Before the Intervention Starts, Immediately After the Intervention
Method of measurement
Ellison and Paloutzian's Spiritual Well-Being Scale
2
Description
Parental stress scores of mothers with premature babies
Timepoint
Before the Intervention Starts, Immediately After the Intervention
Method of measurement
Miles's Parental Stressor Scale
Secondary outcomes
empty
Intervention groups
1
Description
Intervention Group: The spiritual education intervention will be delivered over six hours (equivalent to six one hour sessions across six weeks) in designated classrooms at the School of Nursing and Midwifery located in Persian Gulf Martyrs Hospital in Bushehr. In the first session, the researcher and the spiritual educator will introduce themselves and explain the study objectives to the mothers. Participant responsibilities will then be clarified, and demographic forms, along with the Spiritual Wellbeing Questionnaire and the Parental Stress Questionnaire, will be completed in the presence of the participants. The spiritual educator will present educational content based on the six step model developed by Richards and Bergin, tailored to the individual needs of each mother. Religious assignments including the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha seventy times, Salawat, the invocation "Ya Shafi" three hundred and ninety one times, and Istighfar one hundred times will be introduced as daily practices to enhance the religious dimension of spiritual wellbeing. Additionally, the researcher will provide individualized guidance and respond to mothers’ concerns regarding the care of their premature infants, thereby promoting the existential dimension of spiritual wellbeing. During sessions two through five, the researcher will be responsible for reviewing the participants’ assigned tasks from the previous session and will inform the spiritual educator accordingly. The educator will then provide feedback and address any difficulties faced by the mothers in completing the assignments. Each session will begin with a brief summary to connect previous discussions with new topics. The educator will then proceed with teaching the new content, leading relevant exercises, assigning tasks for the next session, and concluding with a summary of the session's material. In the sixth and final session, the spiritual educator will provide a comprehensive summary of the educational content. One week after the last session, the participants will complete the questionnaires again in person.
Category
Behavior
2
Description
Control Group: Participants will receive routine hospital interventions and training, and will not be provided with any additional education.
Category
Behavior
Recruitment centers
1
Recruitment center
Name of recruitment center
Persian Gulf Martyrs Hospital Bushehr
Full name of responsible person
Dr. Abdolresol Mallah Zadeh
Street address
Bushehr, Ayatollah Taleghani Boulevard, Persian Gulf Martyrs Hospital Bushehr
City
Bushehr
Province
Boushehr
Postal code
75179-33755
Phone
+98 77 3345 5375
Email
mpgh@bpums.ac.ir
Sponsors / Funding sources
1
Sponsor
Name of organization / entity
Boushehr University of Medical Sciences
Full name of responsible person
Dr. Hasan Malekizadeh
Street address
Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Moallem St, Bushehr, Iran
City
Bushehr
Province
Boushehr
Postal code
7514633341
Phone
+98 77 3332 2081
Email
international@bpums.ac.ir
Grant name
Grant code / Reference number
Is the source of funding the same sponsor organization/entity?
Yes
Title of funding source
Boushehr University of Medical Sciences
Proportion provided by this source
100
Public or private sector
Public
Domestic or foreign origin
Domestic
Category of foreign source of funding
empty
Country of origin
Type of organization providing the funding
Academic
Person responsible for general inquiries
Contact
Name of organization / entity
Boushehr University of Medical Sciences
Full name of responsible person
Malihe Khezri
Position
Student
Latest degree
Bachelor
Other areas of specialty/work
Nursery
Street address
Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Moallem St, Bushehr, Iran
City
Bushehr
Province
Boushehr
Postal code
7514633341
Phone
+98 77 3332 2081
Email
m.s.khezri66@gmail.com
Person responsible for scientific inquiries
Contact
Name of organization / entity
Boushehr University of Medical Sciences
Full name of responsible person
Dr. Roqayeh Gashmard
Position
Assistant Professor
Latest degree
Ph.D.
Other areas of specialty/work
Nursery
Street address
Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Moallem St, Bushehr, Iran
City
Bushehr
Province
Boushehr
Postal code
7514633341
Phone
+98 77 3332 2081
Email
roqayehgashmard@gmail.com
Person responsible for updating data
Contact
Name of organization / entity
Boushehr University of Medical Sciences
Full name of responsible person
Malihe Khezri
Position
Student
Latest degree
Bachelor
Other areas of specialty/work
Nursery
Street address
Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Moallem St, Bushehr, Iran
City
Bushehr
Province
Boushehr
Postal code
7514633341
Phone
+98 77 3332 2081
Email
m.s.khezri66@gmail.com
Sharing plan
Deidentified Individual Participant Data Set (IPD)
Yes - There is a plan to make this available
Study Protocol
Yes - There is a plan to make this available
Statistical Analysis Plan
Yes - There is a plan to make this available
Informed Consent Form
Yes - There is a plan to make this available
Clinical Study Report
Yes - There is a plan to make this available
Analytic Code
Yes - There is a plan to make this available
Data Dictionary
Not applicable
Title and more details about the data/document
The study data will be made publicly available after complete anonymization of participant identities.
When the data will become available and for how long
Data access will commence 6 months following publication of the study results.
To whom data/document is available
Researchers
Under which criteria data/document could be used
By citing a logical reason, citing the source, and conducting analyses.
From where data/document is obtainable
Data requests should be directed to the corresponding author, Dr. Roqayeh Gashmard, via email: roqayehgashmard@gmail.com
What processes are involved for a request to access data/document
Data will be available 6 months after the article is published, upon sending a logical reason to the corresponding author, Dr. Roqayeh Gashmard, and then, if accepted, within 10 working days.