The effect of maternal role training program on role attainment and maternal role satisfaction in nulliparous women with unplanned pregnancy

The maternal role is one of the most basic and important roles played by women during their lifetime. The process of the maternal role starts during pregnancy and to continue and develop after postpartum with the growth of suckling. However, unplanned pregnancy may jeopardize achieving the maternal role and reduce maternal role satisfaction. Therefore, the researcher conducted the present study to determine the impact of maternal role training program on attainment of role and role satisfaction in nulliparous women with unplanned pregnancy.

 In this clinical trial, the researcher divided 67 nulliparous women with unplanned pregnancies into two groups at random by drawing lots. For the intervention group, in addition to the usual pregnancy care, the researcher conducted 3 group training sessions at weeks 34, 35, and 36 of pregnancy and an individual training session in the 1st day after delivery before release; then, during the next 4 weeks, the researcher made follow‑up phone calls each week. The control group received the usual pregnancy care. The research tools included London questionnaire to measure unplanned pregnancy, Myself‑As‑Mother Scale (SD‑Self), My‑Baby Scale (SD‑Baby), Perceived Competence Scale to measure maternal role attainment, and Parenting Sense of Competence Scale to measure maternal role satisfaction. The researcher measured the maternal role attainment and maternal role satisfaction before training and 4 weeks after delivery. The researcher analyzed the data using SPSS software version 21 and statistical tests such as independent t‑test, Chi‑square, paired sample t‑test, Mann–Whitney, one‑way analysis of variance, and Wilcoxon. The amount of P was supposed to be <0.05.

The mean age of research units was 24.10 ± 4.3. Twenty‑one persons (60%) in the intervention group and ten persons (31.3%) in the control group attained the maternal role (P = 0.019) and changes to achieve the maternal role in intervention group were significantly more than the control group (P = 0.002). Changes in the mean scores of maternal role satisfaction in the intervention group were significantly more than the control group (P = 0.023).

Maternal role training for nulliparous women with unplanned pregnancy during pregnancy and postpartum period can help them in maternal role attainment and maternal role satisfaction.