The Effect of an Empowerment Training Program on the Difficulty of the Transition to Parenthood and Parenting Stress: A Quasi-Experimental Study among Iranian Primiparous Women

Abstract

Background: The process of becoming a mother is one of the most satisfying and fulfilling events in women's lives. Maternity for the first time can be stressful and also can increase anxiety in women. Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the effect of an empowerment training program on the difficulty of transitioning to parenting as well as parenting stress of primiparous mothers. Methods: The sample of this quasi-experimental study consisted of 78 primiparous women who were selected due to convenient sampling. Participants completed the demographic, difficulty in transition to parenting, and parenting stress questionnaires before and after the study. The participants received four training sessions (the first session was face to face at 3-5 days after childbirth and subsequent training sessions were conducted by telephone at 2, 4, and 6 weeks postpartum) based on the self-efficacy model. Results: The mean age of the participants in the study was 27.012 ± 4.99 years. The results of the Wilcoxon test showed that training significantly reduced parenting difficulty (P value = 0.0001, z = -7.626) and parental stress (P value = 0.0001, z = -7.50). The mean score of parenting difficulty decreased from 97.02 ± 17.34 to 81.65 ± 15.45, and the mean parental stress score decreased from 80.08 ± 22.53 to 61.13 ± 12.20. The results also indicated that education in all four domains (responsibility and commitment, satisfaction, self-esteem, and personal commitment) significantly reduced the difficulty of the transition to parenting (P value = 0.0001). According to the results, training has also been effective in reducing the difficulty of transitioning to parenting in terms of maternal concerns, enjoyment, change in life, new challenges of mother’s postpartum feeling. Conclusions: The outcomes of the present study highlight the effectiveness of empowerment training on the difficulty of the transition to parenting as well as parenting stress in primiparous mothers.