فهرست مطالب راحله رحیمی مزرعه شاهی

The birth of a premature baby is unexpected for mothers, and they experience negative emotions such as anxiety after it, which causes a decrease in self-efficacy. This study aimed to assess the impact of Emmons's gratitude support-educational program on the anxiety and self-efficacy of mothers with premature infants admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Hajar Hospital, Shahrekord, Iran.

A semi-experimental study was conducted on 41 mothers of premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit of Hajar Hospital. Participants were selected using the convenience method and divided into two intervention and control groups. The control group's sampling took one month, while the intervention group's sampling took five months. To minimize bias, the control group was sampled before the intervention group. At three point included the beginning, immediately after the intervention, and one month after the intervention, both mothers groups completed Beck's anxiety and Barnes self-efficacy questionnaires. The intervention group underwent nine sessions, while the control group received no intervention. Emmons's gratitude program reduces negative symptoms and increases positive emotions by using the technique of gratitude and remembering blessings. The data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistical tests (chi-square, two-sample independent t, Fisher's exact test, and repeated measurements) in SPSS statistical software version 25 with a significance level of less than 0.05.

There was no statistically significant difference in the mean score of mothers' anxiety (P = 0.67) and their self-efficacy (P = 0.16) between the two groups before the intervention. Immediately after the intervention and during the follow-up period, the two groups showed a statistically significant difference in mothers' mean anxiety and self-efficacy scores (P<0.001). Analysis of variance with repeated measures indicated that the impact of time on the mean score of anxiety and self-efficacy was significant in the intervention group (P<0.001).

Based on the intervention's effectiveness in reducing anxiety and improving self-efficacy, it is recommended that managers and health planners take the necessary steps to train personnel in using Emmons' gratitude method to enhance the well-being of mothers with premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.