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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2023 Mar 28;23(1):139.
doi: 10.1186/s12905-023-02270-x.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of a postnatal support education program for husbands in promotion of their primiparous wives' perceived social support: a randomized controlled trial

Zahra Abbaspoor  1 , Foruzan Sharifipour  2 , Mojgan Javadnoori  1 , Zahra Behboodi Moghadam  3 , Bahman Cheraghian  4 , Mahin Najafian  5
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Evaluation of the effectiveness of a postnatal support education program for husbands in promotion of their primiparous wives' perceived social support: a randomized controlled trial

Zahra Abbaspoor et al. BMC Womens Health. .

Abstract

Background: Primiparous women experience various challenges if not provided with social support in the early postpartum period. Support in form of postpartum education programs is needed to improve mental well-being in primiparous women. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a postnatal supportive education program for husbands on the perceived social support (primary outcome), and stress and maternal self-efficacy (secondary outcome) of their primiparous wives.

Methods: This randomized clinical trial was performed on pregnant women referring to healthcare centers for routine care from September to November 2021 in Kermanshah, Iran. One hundred pregnant women were randomly divided in to intervention and control groups. Four 45-90 min online training sessions were held weekly for the husbands of the intervention group. The primiparous women completed the Postpartum Partner Support Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and Postpartum Parental Expectations Survey before (third day after delivery, immediately and one month after completing the intervention. Data were analyzed using Fisher's exact test, Chi-square test, independent t-test, and repeated measures analysis of variance in SPSS version 24, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: In the control and intervention groups before the intervention, socio-demographic characteristics (P > 0.05), the mean scores of perceived social support (P = 0.11), maternal self-efficacy (p = 0.37) and perceived stress (p = 0.19) were not statistically significant. However, in the intervention group compared to the control group the mean scores of perceived social support (79.42 ± 7.17 vs. 37.26 ± 7.99, P < 0.001), maternal self-efficacy (186.22 ± 39.53 vs. 106.3 ± 32.88, P < 0.001) and perceived stress (16.36 ± 6.65 vs. 43.3 ± 7.39, P < 0.001) immediately after the intervention and the mean scores of perceived social support (84.4 ± 5.91 vs. 37.14 ± 6.63, P < 0.001), maternal self-efficacy (191.24 ± 38.92 vs. 112.34 ± 37.12, P < 0.001) and perceived stress (13.98 ± 4.84 vs. 39.06 ± 7.25, P < 0.001) one month after the intervention changed significantly.

Conclusion: The postpartum supportive education program for husbands was effective in promoting social support for primiparous women. Thus it can be introduced as routine care in the postpartum period.

Trial registration: Clinical trial registration Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials; https://en.irct.ir/user/trial/56451/view (IRCT20160427027633N8), registered (15/06/2021).

Keywords: Educational program; Postpartum care; Primiparous women; Social support.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
CONSORT flowchart of the study
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The mean scores of perceived social support in the intervention and control groups across the three measurement times
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The mean scores of Maternal self-efficacy in the intervention and control groups across the three measurement times
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
The mean scores of Perceived postpartum stress in the intervention and control groups across the three measurement times
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