A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Prenatal Education Classes on Psychosocial Postpartum Outcomes for Mothers
Date
2019-09-24
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
0000-0001-5386-7255
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
Pregnancy is a time of tremendous life change as women become mothers. In Canada, 65% of primiparous women attend prenatal education classes during pregnancy. The goals of prenatal education are to provide information and support for women during the perinatal period. It is important for registered nurses and other prenatal educators to understand the role prenatal education classes have on influencing psychosocial postpartum outcomes. This systematic review answers the question ‘what is the effectiveness of structured prenatal education classes for mothers on maternal mental health, social support, transition to motherhood, infant care, and sexuality’. Inclusion criteria included studies published since 2003, a comparison study design, and a structured group prenatal education class for pregnant women which measured the outcomes of maternal mental health, social support, transition to motherhood, infant care, or sexuality between birth and 12-months postpartum. A search conducted April 2018 (updated July 2019) within the databases of CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Dissertations and Theses databases, found 10,047 studies with 15 included in the review. Relevance and validity tools were applied, and a data collection table organized the synthesis. The results of the review indicate prenatal education classes are of mixed effectiveness, with some benefits for: (a) maternal mental health sub-outcomes of depression, maternal well-being, confidence, and learned resourcefulness; (b) social support outcomes of support from others, perception of social support, and relationship satisfaction; and (c) the transition to motherhood outcomes of satisfaction with motherhood and with life, and self-efficacy. Prenatal education classes were not of benefit for infant care in the single study reporting on this outcome, and no studies reported on sexuality. A limitation of the review is the heterogeneity of the concepts under study, measuring tools, and content of the interventions, making it difficult to arrive at a firm conclusion. The review demonstrated prenatal education class interventions which include psychosocial topics and/or skill building elements and/or of longer duration show a greater benefit for some outcomes under study, although not for all. Prenatal education classes without additional psychosocial content generally do not demonstrate a benefit over nonattendance for these outcomes.
Description
Keywords
prenatal education, systematic review, postpartum, mother
Citation
Degree
Master of Nursing (M.N.)
Department
Nursing
Program
Nursing