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The association between brain temperament and anxiety in mothers with premature infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) based on Persian medicine

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Abstract

During the postpartum period, anxiety emerges as a significant health concern for women, particularly among mothers whose infants are born prematurely. According to Persian Medicine, also known as Traditional Iranian Medicine (PM), anxiety disorders are caused by an imbalance in the brain’s temperament. Recent studies have found a strong connection between one's temperament and overall happiness. Our research aims to explore the link between brain temperament and anxiety levels in mothers of premature infants receiving care in NICUs, drawing upon the principles of PM. In this particular study, 105 mothers with premature infants admitted to NICUs were enrolled based on meeting specific inclusion criteria. The assessment utilized both the “State-Trait Anxiety Inventory” and the “Brain Mizaj Temperament Questionnaire.” The results showed that there was a significant difference in the mean scores of state (overt) anxiety (P = 0.009) and trait (hidden) anxiety (P = 0.006) based on the mothers’ brain temperament, and mothers with a hotter brain temperament had higher levels of overt and hidden anxiety. Consequently, the study’s outcomes suggest a correlation between brain temperament and anxiety levels among mothers with preterm infants hospitalized in NICUs.

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Notes

  1. Fattahi Brain Temperament Questionnaire.

Abbreviations

NICU:

The neonatal intensive care unit

PM:

Persian medicine

STAI:

State-trait anxiety inventory

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all participants who participated in the study, the authorities of the study setting which provided permission for conducting the study, and all people who helped us throughout the study.

Funding

No funding was received for conducting this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Fatemeh Hashemi, Fatemeh Asadollah & Lida Nikfarid

  2. Department of Traditional Medicine, School of Traditional Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Ghazaleh Heydarirad

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  1. Fatemeh Hashemi
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  2. Ghazaleh Heydarirad
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  3. Fatemeh Asadollah
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  4. Lida Nikfarid
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All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

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Correspondence to Ghazaleh Heydarirad.

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Ethical statement

The participants of the study were informed about the aims and procedure of the study, and their informed consents, both verbal and written were received. The study's ethical approval request was submitted to the ethics committee. Given that this study was conducted concurrently with two other studies by the same authors, the ethics committee recognized that obtaining a new code for this study was unnecessary. Instead, the committee approved the use of the existing codes IRSBMURETECHREC1400115 and IR.SBMU.RETECH.REC.1399.697, both issued by the Ethics Committee of the Department of Nursing and Midwifery, as well as the Faculty of Traditional Medicine of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.

Conflict of interest

Fatemeh Hashemi has no conflict of interest. Ghazaleh HeydariRad has no conflict of interest Fatemeh Asadollah has no conflict of interest. Lida Nikfarid has no conflict of interest.

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Hashemi, F., Heydarirad, G., Asadollah, F. et al. The association between brain temperament and anxiety in mothers with premature infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) based on Persian medicine. ADV TRADIT MED (ADTM) (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13596-024-00757-y

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