Feelings of older Japanese primiparous couples and satisfaction of older primiparous wives with their husbands' support during pregnancy: Focus on the perceptions of pregnant couples.

Only eight couples were interviewed, and the authors say the results cannot be generalised. Some perceptions may not have been recorded even if couples were aware of them. Participants were Japanese couples from two maternity hospitals in north Kanto, recruited through maternity classes, with husbands asked to take part through their wives. Couples with serious health problems were excluded, so the study does not describe higher-risk pregnancies. Interviews were conducted only during late pregnancy, although the larger study also collected postpartum data. The analysis is descriptive and does not test causal relationships.

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Do not treat these themes as evidence that husband support causes maternal satisfaction or that the findings apply to all older first-time parents. The study interviewed only eight Japanese couples during late pregnancy and did not test any intervention.