Evaluation of a pregnancy programme to enhance older primiparas' physical and mental health and marital relationships after childbirth: A non-randomized clinical trial.
Kumiko Nakajima, Ayano Hirose, Tomoko Nameda
PMID 37170400WHAT IT FOUND
For older first-time mothers, a 2-hour pregnancy programme added to regular maternity classes did not improve postpartum depression scores or marital satisfaction compared with classes alone.
Husbands in the programme reported greater awareness of wives' physical burden at 1 month.
Key findings
01Wives' postpartum depression scores did not differ significantly between the intervention and control groups, although scores declined over time within the intervention group.
02Marital relationship satisfaction did not differ significantly between groups at 1 or 3 months after childbirth.
03Husbands in the intervention group reported significantly higher awareness of their wives' physical burden at 1 month postpartum than husbands in the control group (11.73 vs 7.07).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The trial was non-randomized and used convenience sampling, so group differences cannot be ruled out. Only 15 couples were analysed in each group, and the authors reported a low valid response rate because some couples did not cooperate. The programme was delivered in addition to regular maternity classes, so its separate contribution cannot be separated from usual care. The authors noted that baseline measurement was not possible for some outcomes because suitable measurement tools were lacking. Participants were Japanese-speaking couples at two hospitals in a prefecture, so results may not transfer to other settings.
Declared interests
The research was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research in 2017. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the programme reduced postpartum depression or improved marital satisfaction. Between-group comparisons showed no significant differences in wives' Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores or Quality Marriage Index scores, and the programme was added to regular maternity classes, so its separate effect cannot be separated from usual care.