1- Midwifery(MSc), Department of Midwifery, Najaf Abad Branch, Islamic Najaf Abad University, Iran.
2- Instructor, Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. , f.mokhtary@ymail.com
3- Assistant Professor, Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Abstract: (2530 Views)
Introduction: The role of Fathers’ involvement and support in the care of mother and child during postpartum is crucial. This support promotes the health of the mother and the family.
Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of home care on the husband’s support during the postpartum period.
Materials and Methods: This is a clinical trial conducted on 64 women given birth in one of the hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. They were randomly assigned into two groups of intervention and control. A researcher-made questionnaire was used for collecting data. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were already evaluated. For analyzing the collected data, descriptive statistics, and independent t-test, Fisher’s exact test, Chi-square test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used considering the significance level of P≤0.05.
Results: After receiving home care, the husband’s support in the intervention group (96.74±9.11) was significantly different (P=0.001) from the control group (81.17±14.43). There was also a significant difference between the intervention and control groups in the areas of “confidence in wife”, “listening to her”, “attention to her care needs”, “attention to her financial needs”, “attention to her problems and trying to fix them”, “buying necessary things for her”, “buying gifts for her”, “helping with housekeeping”, and “helping with childcare” after the intervention (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Home care program could desirably increase husband’s support leading to a safe postpartum period. Providing home services requires careful planning and proper management by midwives.
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Highlights
● Most women experience at least one health problem during the postpartum period.
● Men’s involvement in prenatal and postnatal care can affect the acceptance of and adaptation to paternal identity.
● The promising results of the home care program reflect the need of spouses and families for an educational program about supporting mothers in the postpartum period.
● The governing culture can affect paternal involvement and the quality of the husband’s support in the postpartum period.
● The home care program was able to increase the husband’s support during the postpartum period.
Plain Language Summary
Physiological conditions of the postpartum period make it a sensitive and effective period for both mother’s and child’s health. Family, and especially husband, are the most accessible and useful sources of providing support for women. Given the limited research on the effect of husband’s support on women’s health in the postpartum period, this study presented a clinical intervention for the woman who just gave birth. The intervention tried to increase their husbands’ support in meeting their needs during this critical period. The midwifery team provided the training during three postpartum visits with fathers and other family members (32 families). At the same time, we examined the support and engagement level of fathers in other 32 families as the control group. The results in the pre-intervention phase indicated a poor level of husband’s involvement and support. Fortunately, after receiving home care, the results showed the impact of the intervention on increasing fathers’ support and engagement, especially in terms of basic needs. The results confirm the spouses and families’ need for receiving training about supporting mothers in the postpartum period. The health care team should scientifically provide this training. Home-based training offers the opportunity to identify the specific needs of each family and detect problems in the early stages and takes appropriate action. It can also prevent future injuries and subsequent medical costs.
Article Type :
Research |
Subject:
Special Received: 2019/08/15 | Accepted: 2019/09/11 | Published: 2019/10/1