• Journal of Families and Better Life
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.89-101
• /
• 2015

This study examined the effects of self-differentiation and psychological discomfort on antenatal attachment of pregnant couples in their third trimester of pregnancy. The subjects were 182 couples in J province who had participated in the first wave of the Korea Attachment Longitudinal Study (KALS). Data were analyzed by means of frequency, percentages, Pearson's correlations, and stepwise multiple regression models using SPSS 20.0. The findings were as follows. First, the independent t-test showed that the mean scores of pregnant women's self-differentiation were lower than their spouses in all subscales except emotional cutoff, and higher than in all psychological discomfort subscales. There was no significant difference in antenatal attachment quality between women and men, but the pregnant women significantly spent more time thinking about the fetus than their spouses. Second, the stepwise multiple regression models revealed that pregnant women's emotional cutoff in self-differentiation influenced the most on both quality and quantity of antenatal attachment. Among subscales of their spouses' self-differentiation, only emotional reactivity had an impact on quality of antenatal attachment, and fusion with others had the most impact on quantity of antenatal attachment. Among the pregnant women's and their spouses' psychological discomfort subscales, only depression influenced each quality and quantity of antenatal attachment. This is the very first and only study in which the impact of the pregnant couples' self-differentiation on antenatal attachment has been examined.

• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.141-152
• /
• 2021

Purpose: This study was conducted to develop a couple-centered antenatal education program and to test the program's feasibility. Methods: With a preliminary-experimental study design, 33 pregnant couples who were expecting their first child participated in this study. The program consisted of four sessions (1 hour/session/week) of education and counseling. Data were collected before and after the intervention from September 2018 to April 2019 at a women's hospital in Daejeon, Korea, with demographic data forms, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale, Korean Newborn Care Confidence Scale, Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire, and Dyadic Adjustment Scale-10. Results: The pregnant women and their husbands were on average 32.30±3.10 and 33.21±6.25 years old, respectively. The mean marriage duration was 2.34±1.63 years, the gestational age was 31.30±2.66 weeks, and 78.8% of the couples had a planned pregnancy. After the program, both the pregnant women and their husbands showed significant improvements in attachment to the fetus and confidence in providing infant care. Prenatal depression, prenatal stress, and fear of childbirth in pregnant women significantly decreased after completing the program. However, the dyadic adjustment score did not change significantly either in the pregnant women or their husbands. Conclusion: A couple-centered antenatal education program seems to be effective for couples adjusting to parenthood, but further studies should explore ways to have a positive impact on couples' relationships.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.598-607
• /
• 2003

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of the Sophrologic Prenatal Education Program. Method: The subjects of this study were 16 antepartum women who had been registered at community health centers at S-gu in Pusan. Data were collected from women who visited for antenatal care during the period from the 7th of May to 28th of June in 2003. Participants were evaluated before and on completion of the 8 weeks' educational program using 3 instruments: Breast-feeding knowlege, Maternal-fetal attachment and Antenatal stress. The Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Test was conducted for data analysis using SPSS/WIN 10.0. Results: Statistically significant difference was found between the pretest and posttest in the mean score of the Breast-feeding knowledge. The mean scores of the experiment group and the control group were $31.44{\pm}5.51\;and\;37.06{\pm}4.27$ respectively (p=.001). No statistically significant difference was found between the pretest and posttest in the mean score of the Maternal-fetal attachment (p=.315, p=.578). Conclusions: Community health care providers must consider the emotional needs of Korean people and make efforts to adapt the Sophrologie Prenatal Education Program for a larger number of antepartum women in community.

• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.180-190
• /
• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of a supportive program on uncertainty, anxiety, and maternal-fetal attachment in high-risk pregnant women. Methods: The participants were 59 high-risk pregnant women admitted to the maternal-fetal intensive care unit. The control group (n=30) received usual treatment and antenatal care, while the experimental group (n=29) received an additional supportive program. Uncertainty, anxiety, and maternal-fetal attachment were measured in both groups prior to the intervention and at 3 days and 10 days after the intervention (or at discharge). Data were analyzed with the t-test, chi-square test, repeated-measures analysis of covariance, and the Greenhouse-Geisser correction in SPSS version 23.0. Results: A supportive program including information provision, nutritional care, emotional care, and exercise care was developed from the literature. All variables except women's length of stay were found to be homogeneous the between experimental and control groups in the pre-test. Length of stay was calculated as a covariate for testing hypotheses. There was a significant difference in state anxiety over time between the two groups, while there were no differences in uncertainty or maternal-fetal attachment. Conclusion: This supportive program was identified as an effective nursing intervention on state anxiety in high-risk pregnant women during their stay in the maternal-fetal intensive care unit. It is suggested that nurses could apply this program to alleviate high-risk pregnant women's state anxiety, and that this program could be modified to be more effective on uncertainty and maternal-fetal attachment in high-risk pregnant women.

• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.71-77
• /
• 2016

Purpose: This study was a comparative study to understand the levels of anxiety, pain and maternal-fetal attachment between women who became pregnant after infertility treatment and became pregnant naturally. Methods: This study used a comparative survey design. Data were collected by 50 couples of natural pregnancy and of who became pregnant after infertility treatment who visited delivery room in C Medical hospital, Seoul. These couples were to have first baby, and cervix dilatation of women was less than 3 cm regardless of diagnosis. Results: The score of anxiety of infertile women was significantly higher than that of naturally pregnant women; however, that of spouses showed no difference. The pain score for infertile women was significantly higher in both the active and transition phases. Pain scores that reported by their spouses did not show differences in either phase. The score of maternal-fetal attachment showed no difference between two groups of women. Conclusion: The result showed the importance of nursing intervention to reduce women's anxiety and pain, through both antenatal-childbirth education programs and assertive nursing interventions. It is necessary to develop and evaluate new intervention which would be more effective for reducing pain and anxiety for couples who became pregnant after infertility treatment.

• Child Health Nursing Research
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.181-189
• /
• 2011

Purpose: This study was done to investigate the predictors of maternal confidence between primipara and multipara mothers. Methods: The participants enrolled in this study were 145 mothers between 2 and 5 days postpartum. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive analysis, t-test, $X^2$ test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression. Results: The predictors of maternal confidence among primipara mothers were social support, self-esteem, mode of delivery ($R^2$=.287, p<.001). Whereas, gender of baby, antenatal fetal attachment, and educational status explained maternal confidence among multipara mothers ($R^2$=.270, p<.001). Conclusion: The results indicate that when nurses develop programs to encourage maternal confidence for new mothers, they should take into account the differences between predictors of maternal confidence according to the mothers' experience of birth.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.77-89
• /
• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare maternal perceptions between two groups of postpartum women, women who chose to have their babies room-in and women who did not (non rooming-in group). Methods: Data collection was conducted in 37 hospitals from August 10 to September 20, 2008. The participants were 209 mothers opting for rooming-in and 128 mothers for non rooming-in. The women completed a questionnaire which included the Edinburgh postpartum depression scale, maternal attachment inventory, and postpartum self-evaluation questionnaire. Results: There were significant differences in education level, income and antenatal education between the rooming-in and non rooming-in groups. The rooming-in group also showed higher levels of satisfaction with medical services. More important, the rate of breast feeding for the rooming-in group was higher than for the non rooming-in group. There was no difference between the two groups for postpartum depression, maternal attachment and mothers' confidence with infant care tasks. Conclusion: These findings suggest that rooming-in system has more advantages compared to non rooming-in and that it can help to promote breast feeding. The authors recommend that the rooming-in system be expanded nationwide. The results of this research can be used to assist the development of future rooming-in system expansion strategy.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.52-63
• /
• 1987

Il-primigravidas who visited antenatal clinic and their husbands were taught lamaze childbirth education by the investigator in the third trimester of pregnancy. Lamaze childbirth educational course consisted of six weekly class totaling twelve hours of instruction. A questionnaire was adminstered to subjects for the evaluation of Lamaze educational Program. 21-questions were rated on a Likert-type scale containing five responses and subjects described the advantages, the disadvantage, and the difficulties of lamaze childbirth education course. The results of the study were as follows; 1. The core contents of lamaze childbirth educational Program were Process of labor, anatomy and physiology of the female body, the care of newborn, maternal-infant attachment, breathing patterns to be used at the appropriate stage of labor, techniques for conscious relaxation of muscles during labor and delivery, and exercise to limber and prepare the body for the work of labor and delivery. All couples understood the above core contents very well and there were not significant differences between the understanding scores of wives and those of husbands (p>0.05). 2. 81.8% of couples Practiced breathing pattern to be used at the appropriate stages of labor one or three times a day and 72.7% of couples practiced conscious relaxation of muscles one or three times a day. 3. The contents of Lamaze childbirth educational program were easy for the couples to understand, and the total length, the amounts and the structures of 6-classes were appropriate. 4. Lamaze childbirth educational program was very useful, necessary, interesting, and successful to achieve the couples' objectives. 5. The couples expressed that they had positive attitude and high self-esteem, and reduced their anxiety on the pregnancy and labor.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.44 no.2
• /
• pp.85-93
• /
• 2014

Purpose: Low birth weight (LBW) is one of the major public health problems in India. Hence, there is a need to identify risk factors that, when modified, will reduce the burden of unhealthy children on the healthcare system. The objective of this study was to determine whether periodontitis among mothers in the rural population of India is a risk factor for LBW babies. Methods: A hospital-based case control study was conducted among 340 postpartum mothers. The cases consisted of 170 women who had given birth to babies weighing <2,500 g, while the control group consisted of 170 women who had given birth to babies weighing ${\geq}2,500g$. Details of the mothers were taken from the hospital records and through a personal interview, and a full-mouth periodontal examination was performed postpartum, which included probing depth, clinical attachment level, and bleeding on probing on six sites per tooth. Results: LBW cases had a significantly worse periodontal status than the controls, having an odds ratio (OR) of 2.94 (P=0.01). The multivariate logistic regression model demonstrated that periodontal disease is a significant independent risk factor with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 2.85 for the LBW group (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.62-5.5). Other factors showing significant associations with LBW were pre-eclampsia (aOR, 4.49; 95% CI, 1.4-14.7), preterm labor (aOR, 5.5; 95% CI, 3.2-9.9), and vaginal type of delivery (aOR, 2.74; 95% CI, 1.4-5.2). Conclusions: Periodontitis represents a strong, independent, and clinically significant risk factor for LBW. Periodontal therapy should form a part of the antenatal preventive care among rural women in India.