title: Nursing Behaviors which Facilitate the Grief Work of Parents with Premature Infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Comparison of Mothers and Fathers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The birth of a child is an event to be remembered. However, a premature birth may shock the parents and cause their grief. Understanding differences between mothers and fathers can help nurses in providing nursing supports.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was performed with the aim of comparing nursing behaviors which facilitate grief work for parents of premature infants hospitalized in the NICU from perspectives of mothers and fathers.
  
  
  METHODS
  This comparative descriptive design was conducted among 40 pairs of mothers and fathers selected by convenience sampling method. The study was performed in 2011 using the Fordham Scale (1989). Data were analyzed with "wilcoxon ranks test" by using SPSS software version 13.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean scores of nursing behaviors which facilitate grief work were 2.81 ± 0.16 and 2.82 ± 0.29 in the perspectives of mothers and fathers, respectively. The Wilcoxon test did not show any statistically significant difference between mothers and fathers (P = 0.55).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite expectations, provided nursing behaviors in mothers and fathers showed no difference in this study. Therefore, nursing policymakers and directors should take measures in order to provide appropriate services to the parents.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Elaheh
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rahiminia
keywords: Grief; Intensive Care Units; Neonatal; Nurses; Parents; Premature birth