Coping strategies of mothers with preterm babies admitted in a public hospital in Cape Town.

The study was done in one public hospital in Cape Town, so the findings may not apply to other settings or hospitals. Only mothers whose preterm babies were still admitted and under hospital care were included, so it does not describe mothers whose babies were discharged or never admitted. The sample was small, with 11 mothers interviewed, and data saturation was noted at the ninth interview, so it is a detailed account of a few people's experiences, not a pattern that can be counted. It was a qualitative study of self-reported coping strategies, not a test of whether any strategy improves maternal or infant outcomes. Only English and Xhosa speaking mothers older than 18 were included.

Do not read this as proof that prayer, bonding or acceptance improve outcomes. It reports what 11 mothers said in one hospital, not a tested treatment effect.