The Effect of Expressive Writing on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Hopelessness in Mothers with Premature Neonates Hospitalized in NICU
Background: Premature birth and hospitalization of infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can contribute to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in mothers who also experience high levels of hopelessness. It is essential that a proper strategy be used for managing these challenges. This...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_390_23 |
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| author | Behnaz Soltanpour Zahra Pourmovahed Mousa Alavi |
| author_facet | Behnaz Soltanpour Zahra Pourmovahed Mousa Alavi |
| author_sort | Behnaz Soltanpour |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background:
Premature birth and hospitalization of infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can contribute to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in mothers who also experience high levels of hopelessness. It is essential that a proper strategy be used for managing these challenges. This study aims to determine the effect of Expressive Writing (EW) on PTSD and hopelessness in mothers with premature neonates who were hospitalized in NICU.
Materials and Methods:
This clinical trial involved 65 mothers with premature neonates admitted to an NICU in Esfahan (Iran) in 2023. Samples were selected by the convenience sampling method and divided into control (n = 33) and intervention (n = 32) groups. The intervention group engaged in EW three times a week. All the participants completed the Perinatal Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Questionnaire and Beck’s Hopelessness Scale. Moreover, statistical analyses including independent t-test, paired t-test, Chi-square test, and Fisher exact test were performed using SPSS 24.
Results:
Following the intervention, the mean scores of PTSD and hopelessness were significantly lower in the intervention group compared with the control group ((t = 13.86, df = 63, p < 0.001) and (t = 8.32, df = 63, p < 0.001), respectively).
Conclusions:
Expressive writing proved effective in reducing PTSD and hopelessness in mothers with premature neonates. This low-cost and effective intervention is recommended for enhancing maternal mental health and empowering mothers for optimal care of premature infants in NICUs and after discharge. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6432a7cc6a4a40afafe5d6d912fe8fa0 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1735-9066 2228-5504 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-6432a7cc6a4a40afafe5d6d912fe8fa02025-08-20T02:09:47ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsIranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research1735-90662228-55042025-03-0130223223610.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_390_23The Effect of Expressive Writing on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Hopelessness in Mothers with Premature Neonates Hospitalized in NICUBehnaz SoltanpourZahra PourmovahedMousa AlaviBackground: Premature birth and hospitalization of infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can contribute to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in mothers who also experience high levels of hopelessness. It is essential that a proper strategy be used for managing these challenges. This study aims to determine the effect of Expressive Writing (EW) on PTSD and hopelessness in mothers with premature neonates who were hospitalized in NICU. Materials and Methods: This clinical trial involved 65 mothers with premature neonates admitted to an NICU in Esfahan (Iran) in 2023. Samples were selected by the convenience sampling method and divided into control (n = 33) and intervention (n = 32) groups. The intervention group engaged in EW three times a week. All the participants completed the Perinatal Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Questionnaire and Beck’s Hopelessness Scale. Moreover, statistical analyses including independent t-test, paired t-test, Chi-square test, and Fisher exact test were performed using SPSS 24. Results: Following the intervention, the mean scores of PTSD and hopelessness were significantly lower in the intervention group compared with the control group ((t = 13.86, df = 63, p < 0.001) and (t = 8.32, df = 63, p < 0.001), respectively). Conclusions: Expressive writing proved effective in reducing PTSD and hopelessness in mothers with premature neonates. This low-cost and effective intervention is recommended for enhancing maternal mental health and empowering mothers for optimal care of premature infants in NICUs and after discharge.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_390_23expressive writinghopelessnessneonatal intensive care unitpost-traumatic stress disorderpremature neonate |
| spellingShingle | Behnaz Soltanpour Zahra Pourmovahed Mousa Alavi The Effect of Expressive Writing on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Hopelessness in Mothers with Premature Neonates Hospitalized in NICU Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research expressive writing hopelessness neonatal intensive care unit post-traumatic stress disorder premature neonate |
| title | The Effect of Expressive Writing on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Hopelessness in Mothers with Premature Neonates Hospitalized in NICU |
| title_full | The Effect of Expressive Writing on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Hopelessness in Mothers with Premature Neonates Hospitalized in NICU |
| title_fullStr | The Effect of Expressive Writing on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Hopelessness in Mothers with Premature Neonates Hospitalized in NICU |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effect of Expressive Writing on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Hopelessness in Mothers with Premature Neonates Hospitalized in NICU |
| title_short | The Effect of Expressive Writing on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Hopelessness in Mothers with Premature Neonates Hospitalized in NICU |
| title_sort | effect of expressive writing on post traumatic stress disorder and hopelessness in mothers with premature neonates hospitalized in nicu |
| topic | expressive writing hopelessness neonatal intensive care unit post-traumatic stress disorder premature neonate |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_390_23 |
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