title: Sacred Spaces: Religious and Secular Coping and Family Relationships in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Preterm birth is an unanticipated and stressful event for parents. In addition, the unfamiliar setting of the intensive care nursery necessitates strategies for coping.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The primary study objective of this descriptive study was to determine whether secular and religious coping strategies were related to family functioning in the neonatal intensive care unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-two parents of preterm (25-35 weeks' gestation) infants completed the Brief COPE (secular coping), the Brief RCOPE (religious coping), and the Family Environment Scale within 1 week of their infant's hospital admission.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This descriptive study found that parents' religious and secular coping was significant in relation to family relationship functioning. Specifically, negative religious coping (ie, feeling abandoned or angry at God) was related to poorer family cohesion and use of denial.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings have relevance for interventions focused toward enhancing effective coping for families.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further study of religious and secular coping strategies for neonatal intensive care unit families is warranted in a larger more diverse sample of family members.
authors.affiliation: School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, Penn State Harrisburg, Middletown, Pennsylvania (Dr Brelsford and Mr Ramirez); and Division of Newborn Medicine, Penn State Hershey, College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania (Drs Veneman and Doheny).
authors.forename: Gina M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Brelsford
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ramirez
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Veneman
authors.forename: Kim K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Doheny
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010414:Pennsylvania; D011594:Psychometrics; D012067:Religion; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*