No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

A comparative study of two groups of primiparas was conducted in Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada), during the summer of 1976. The first group was comprised of those women who attended 50 per cent or more of a series of prenatal classes (the attenders), and was compared to a group of non-attenders, those who had not attended prenatal classes during their pregnancy. The objective of the study was to examine those factors which are expected to influence utilization of prenatal educational programs. The long-term objective was to generate data which could be used to improve these programs; and, consequently, also to improve the health of the mother and child. From a total sample of 154 primiparas drawn from the mothers having given birth to a live baby in April, May or June 1976, 127 were interviewed: 54 non-attenders and 73 attenders. The comparison of the groups of attenders and non-attenders showed the following results: 1) There were differences between the two groups in regard to basic socio-economic and demographic characteristics. In general, the non-attenders tended to be younger, less educated, poorer, new immigrants, and less fluent in English than the attenders. 2) When tested on a set of knowledge questions, the two groups showed differences in the areas of pregnancy, childbirth and child care knowledge. In general, the attenders responded correctly to more of the questions than did the non-attenders. However, on some questions, the differences were not very large and it would be interesting to re-examine these differences when confounding factors are controlled (e.g., English fluency). The comparison of behavioural health practices revealed the following: The non-attenders were less likely to smoke during pregnancy than were the attenders. - The two groups were fairly comparable in terms of a positive change in their nutrition habits during pregnancy. - As expected, more attenders than non-attenders used controlled breathing techniques during the delivery. Seventy-six per cent of the non-attenders either partially or totally breastfed their babies compared with 55 per cent of the attenders. When asked about their reasons for not attending prenatal classes, the non-attenders most frequently mentioned a lack of awareness of the existence of the classes and a general feeling that it was unnecessary to attend. Difficulty in speaking and understanding English was also a factor in non-utilization of classes. In regard to wife-husband relationships, husbands were given as a source of support by more attenders than non-attenders, although the difference was not statistically significant. It could be worthwhile to investigate this area more thoroughly to determine whether the presence of support from a husband/partner is a reason for attendance or occurs as a result of the attendance. The data on knowledge and behavioural health practices could raise questions concerning the effectiveness of the prenatal programs. However, this study has not been designed to evaluate these programs. Most of the factors studied regarding knowledge and health practices are known to be associated with socio-economic and cultural factors. An analysis of the true effect of the program should take these factors into consideration. In conclusion, this study has shown ways of increasing utilization of prenatal educational programs. Emphasis should be placed on the following: The target population - More effort and resources should be devoted to reach lower socio-economic groups, new immigrants, and those less fluent in the English language. The method - New communication and information dissemination techniques, as well as diversified teaching methods, should be developed (e.g., more courses should be taught in a language other than English). The content - Given the differences in knowledge levels and health practices, the content should be geared more to meet the needs of specific sub-groups in the population. Publicity - The study demonstrates the need for making better known the existence of the program as well as its present objectives. This study has raised a number of questions regarding both utilization of prenatal care and outcome measures relating to this care. Therefore, a larger and well designed study to investigate these questions more extensively is recommended. / Medicine, Faculty of / Population and Public Health (SPPH), School of / Graduate

No description available.

No description available.

The primary focus of this research was on the emotional status of expectant mothers and expectant fathers. A comparison between couples who were currently expecting a child and couples who had had a child within one calendar year of the testing period was made. Specifically, expectant mothers were compared to present mothers and expectant fathers were compared to present fathers on three personality variables: the degree of emotional stability, the perception of the locus of internal-external control, and parental role identification. This comparison was made to determine whether men and women who were currently expecting a child would differ significantly from similar men and women who had already had their child in relation to the three selected variables.Participants in Lamaze prepared childbirth training were selected as the population to be studied. Members of one of four Lamaze prepared childbirth classes selected as the population for the research were asked to take part in the study. Twenty-one couples agreed to participate; the 21 pregnant women comprised the expectant mother sample, while the 21 husbands of the pregnant women comprised the expectant father sample. In order to compare the expectant parent samples to an appropriate control group, 100 former Lamaze participants who received their training from the same Lamaze instructors who provided instruction to the expectant parent samples were contacted and asked to take part in the study. Twenty-one couples volunteered; the 21 women comprised the present mothers sample, and the 21 men made up the present fathers sample. All subjects in the expectant parents samples were tested on the second meeting of their regularly scheduled Lamaze class. Those couples in the present parents samples attended a specially scheduled testing period.Six hypotheses were formulated relative to emotional stability, perception of the locus of internal-external control and parental role identification. The multiple choice Inquiry items of the Blacky Pictures Test served as the measure of emotional stability. Each subject's perception of the locus of control was measured by the Internal-External Locus of Control Scale (I-E Scale). An additional measure was obtained to determine whether a subject was unusually involved with the parental role. A writer-designed adaptation of the Blacky Pictures Test served as a measure of identification with the parental figures depicted on the Blacky Pictures Test illustrations. The adaptation consisted of the addition of the following question to the standard Inquiry items on each card: "With which character do you feel most involved on this card? Mama, Papa, Blacky, or Tippy?" Because the parent figures are depicted on only three of the 11 critical cards, four or more responses that indicated involvement (or identification) with the parental figures was considered to indicate unusual involvement with the parental figures. In addition to these three measurements, all subjects completed a demographic questionnaire.Statistical analyses were carried out to determine whether there were significant differences (p <.05) between the same sex samples. Results indicated two significant findings. Present fathers were found to be less emotionally stable than expectant fathers. In addition, the expectant mothers tended to identify significantly more often with the parental figures than did present mothers. All other measured variables failed to show significant differences. No significant differences were found between the expectant mother sample and the present mother sample in their perception of the locus of internal-external control; similarly expectant fathers and present fathers were not significantly different on the perception of control variable. Findings also indicated that no significant difference existed between the two father samples on the identification with the parental role variable. No significant difference was found between the two mother samples on the emotional stability variable.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of parent education on maternal confidence and predictions of pain medication use in labor. The variables in this study were maternal age, parity, self-efficacy, prediction of pain medication usage, and parent education attendance. A convenience sample of 100 pregnant women enrolled in parent education classes at a major metropolitan tertiary care system was used. Data were collected through surveys administered by parent educators prior to the first class in the series and at the end of the last class. Instruments included the Childbirth Self-Efficacy Inventory and a questionnaire regarding maternal preference for pain control during tabor. The findings indicated that the parent education classes had a positive effect on the women's childbirth self-efficacy and outcome expectancy. Additionally, at the end of the classes a significant number of women reported they were less certain that they would have an epidural or use narcotic pain medication during labor. The findings, however, demonstrated no significant difference among the CBSEI scores of women with different preferences for pain control during labor.

This thesis supported the hypothesis that preoperative verbalization enhances the birth experience in primary emergency cesarean delivered women. A T-test was utilized to compare the two groups' responses on each item of a 29 point questionnaire. The questionnaire measured perception of birth in 28 participants who verbalized their feelings preoperatively and 22 participants who did not verbalize preoperatively. The total mean score for all 29 items indicated a favorable perception for the former group. In addition, six specific items were significantly favorable for the group who verbalized. The T-test revealed questionnaire items of significance in the following subgroups: age, duration and intensity of labor, and parity.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of childbirth preparation classes on self-efficacy in coping with labor pain in Thai primiparas. The nonprobability convenience sample consisted of sixty primiparas assigned to either a control or an experimental group (thirty in each group). In order to prevent crosscontamination, all control group data were collected before initiating enrollment of the experimental group. The control group participants received standard care and education. Participants in the experimental group attended three childbirth classes over three consecutive weeks. Data were collected at the beginning of week 1 to establish a baseline (pretest), at the end of the third class which is the end of the intervention (posttest), and at 24-48 hours after delivery (follow-up) using a demographic form, postnatal data form, and the Childbirth Self-efficacy Inventory. Overall, experimental group self-efficacy expectancy increased dramatically across three data points. In contrast, control group self-efficacy expectancy decreased dramatically across three data points. There was an interaction between time of selfefficacy expectancy measurement and group, F(1.33, 71.77) = 6.34, p < .05. Selfefficacy expectancy in the experimental group was significantly different than that of the control group, F(1, 54) = 14.66, p < .001. Outcome expectancy findings were different than self-efficacy expectancy results. Control group outcome expectancy decreased dramatically across three data points while the experimental group selfefficacy increased after the class and then decreased after the birth but was higher than baseline. There was an interaction between time of outcome expectancy measurement and group, F(1.72, 935.18) = 4.83, p < .05. Data at the follow-up or 24-48 hours after delivery revealed that only one woman from the control group received an analgesic during the birthing process. The groups did not differ in duration of labor and type of delivery. These findings indicate partial effect of childbirth preparation classes on self-efficacy in coping with labor pain. The relatively small effect size reflects the high degree of variability in issues surrounding a woman's experience of pain and measures related to self-efficacy in coping with labor pain. Additional research in this population is needed. / text