Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Mothers’ perceptions of fever in children

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Maryam Ravanipour
. Sherafat Akaberian 1
. Gissou Hatami 2

1 Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery

2 Department of Pediatric, School of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran

Abstract
Background: Fever is one of the most common symptoms for children. Most fevers are not
dangerous; parents, especially mothers, nevertheless experience severe anxiety confronting
children’s fevers. This study aimed to explore the mothers’ perceptions of fever in their
children. Materials and Methods: Mothers of hospitalized febrile children were selected
by purposeful sampling method from two hospitals in Bushehr in 2012. Data saturation was
reached after in‑depth semi structured interviews with 12 participants. Data analysis was
done by conventional content analysis method. Findings: Sense of concern, the necessity
for quick action and the need for protection emerged from mothers’ views. Sense of concern
came from concerns over cause of fever, child’s hospitalization and possible side‑effects of
fever. The necessity for quick action resulted from gathering information, self‑medication and
referring to healthcare centres; the need for spiritual and emotional protection created the
need to protect in mothers. Conclusion: Findings showed that mothers need educational,
emotional and spiritual protection in order to overcome their concerns and managing their
children’s fever. It is recommended that an empowering model based on these findings be
developed in order to strengthen mothers in dealing with fevers in order to prevent excessive
concern and anxiety.

Keywords

Febrile child
mothers’ perception
qualitative study
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 4, Issue 4
Summer 2014
Pages 1-5

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