Abstract
Objective This study aimed to characterize the spiritual beliefs, practices, and needs of parents
of very preterm infants, those born <32 weeks of gestation, in a level-III NICU and
to characterize parental perception of the spiritual support received in the neonatal
intensive care unit (NICU).
Study Design Within 14 days of their infants' birth, parents underwent a recorded semistructured
interview. Responses were organized into unique themes using standard qualitative
methods. Parents completed the Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale (SIBS) and
Spiritual Needs Inventory (SNI).
Results Twenty-six parents from 17 families were interviewed and provided SIBS and SNI surveys.
Interviews yielded seven major themes describing parents' spirituality and support.
Most parents identified themselves as spiritual (n = 14) or sometimes spiritual (n = 2). A high SIBS score was associated with Christian religion (p = 0.007) and non-White race (p = 0.02). The SNI showed ≥80% of parents reported a “frequent” or “always” need for
laughter, being with family, thinking happy thoughts, and talking about day-to-day
things. The most commonly mentioned sources of spiritual support were parents' connection
with a higher power through their faith (n = 12) or religious activities (n = 8). Many parents reported receiving sufficient spiritual support outside of the
hospital during their unique experience in the NICU.
Conclusion Parents of infants born <32 weeks of gestation in our NICU commonly self-identified
themselves as spiritual. Many parents have similar spiritual needs which are often
met by sources outside of the hospital.
Key Points
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Parents of infants born <32 weeks of gestation in our NICU commonly self-identify
as spiritual.
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Many parents of preterm infants describe their spirituality as a personal experience.
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Many parents of preterm infants have similar spiritual needs.
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Many parents of preterm infants have their spiritual needs met outside of the hospital.
Keywords
spirituality - NICU - parents - neonate - support - spiritual
