Affiliations: Maternal Child Health Nursing, Princess Muna College of Nursing, Royal Medical Services, Amman, Jordan | Brigham Young University College of Nursing, Provo, UT, USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: Lynn Clark Callister, Brigham Young University College of Nursing, 136 SWKT, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602-5544, USA. Tel.: +1 801 422 3227; Fax: +1 801 422 0536; E-mail: Lynn_Callister@byu.edu
Abstract: Objective: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the lived experience of Jordanian Muslim mothers having their preterm infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at a large Jordanian hospital in Amman, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Methods: Twenty Muslim mothers participated in audio-taped narrative interviews describing the lived experience of having their preterm infant at the neonatal intensive care unit. Results: Mothers described feeling emotional instability; living with challenges in family relationships and often feeling isolated; experiencing challenges in religious observances; finding strength through spiritual beliefs; and trying to normalize life. Conclusions: Attention should be given to cultural and spiritual dimensions of the lives of mothers with infants in the newborn intensive care unit. Family centered developmentally appropriate interventions should be implemented to promote positive psychosocial outcomes and enrich the family perspective.
Keywords: Family centered care, muslim mothers, neonatal intensive care unit, phenomenology
