The Effect of using Family Participation based Continuous Labor Support Program on Satisfaction with Childbirth Experiences of Primiparous Women

Abstract

This quasi-experimental approach with a two-group post-test only design study aimed to study the effects of a family participation-based continuing support program (FPBCS program) during labour on the satisfaction with childbirth experiences of primiparous women. Purposive sampling was used to recruit a group of primiparous women attending antenatal clinics and delivering their child at Chonburi hospital, 25 assigned to the control group receiving standard nursing care and 25 assign to an experimental group receiving standard care and the FPBCS program. Research instruments consisted of 1) the intervention program (FPBCS program),  providing knowledge and training sessions for physical and emotional support, giving advice and information and advocacy to the supportive family member beginning at 36 weeks of gestational age; and 2) the research instrument tools consisted of two questionnaires including the demographic and pregnancy data questionnaire and the 21-item satisfaction with childbirth experiences assessment which were tested for reliability, yielding Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.90 and 0.94 respectively. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and independent t-tests.

            The findings revealed that the experimental group had a statistically significantly higher satisfaction with childbirth experiences scores than the control group at p<.001.  The findings show that the family participation-based support program, when provided continuously during the labour period, can be used to improve the quality of maternal nursing as well as to positively affect the women’s satisfaction with their childbirth experiences.