Investigation of Perceived Nurse Support and Hopelessness Levels of Mothers with Their Baby in Neonatal Intensive Care

Aim: The investigation aimed to explore the correlation between nurses' perceived support and the hopelessness levels among mothers whose babies are in the newborn intensive care unit. The study used a descriptive, cross-sectional approach focusing on establishing relationships. Method: The research was conducted within the newborn intensive care unit of two distinct clinics in Istanbul from February to July 2021. The study population consisted of 152 mothers whose babies were admitted to the intensive care units of these hospitals. Data collection was conducted using the Nurse Parent Support Tool, Beck Hopelessness Scale, and Personal Information Form. Results: It was found that there was a weak, inverse, and statistically significant relationship between the total mean score of the Nurse-Parental Support Tool and the average score of the Beck Hopelessness Scale. Beck Hopelessness Scale mean scores at first hospitalization and discharge were analyzed. The decrease in findings had a significant statistical effect (p<0.001). Conclusion: The study's findings revealed a statistically significant weak inverse relationship between the average total score obtained from the Nurse-Parental Support Tool and the mean score from the Beck Hopelessness Scale. Specifically, the average scores of the Beck Hopelessness Scale were analyzed both at admission to the hospital and at the time of discharge. It was observed that the data showed a statistically significant drop in the scores between these two events (p<0.001).