Perceptions of primiparas on a postnatal psychoeducation programme: the process evaluation

to explore the perceptions of primiparas on the contents, delivery and personal impact of postnatal psychoeducation programme.

a descriptive qualitative study was conducted in a public tertiary hospital in Singapore in 2013.

18 primiparas who were able to read and speak English were recruited from the intervention group of a randomised controlled trial.

a semi-structured interview guide was used to interview participants' perceptions on a postnatal psychoeducation programme at participants' home, which was developed based on the principles of self-efficacy and social exchange theories, between six and nine weeks post partum. The programme comprised of a 90-minute home visit, three weekly telephone follow-up and an educational booklet.

the qualitative interviews revealed that the participants faced many challenges such as negative emotions and difficulties in breast feeding and support issues in the early postpartum period especially after the hospital discharge. However, all the participants in the intervention group perceived the postnatal psychoeducation programme to be helpful in increasing their confidence in newborn care, fostering help-seeking behaviour, improving emotional well-being and increasing their knowledge in newborn and self-care as well as in breast feeding. Suggestions for programme improvements included more home visits, more telephone follow-up and web-based psychoeducation as well as recommending postnatal psychoeducation programme to be offered as a routine care. Overall, there was a high satisfaction and acceptability with the programme.

our findings indicate that the programme is beneficial for maternal well-being and confidence in maternal roles and, therefore, is promising to be introduced to the multiracial primiparas in Singapore.

the challenges mothers experience during the postnatal period suggest that it would be worthwhile to devote more resources in providing follow-up support to the mothers in the early postpartum period. Midwives could incorporate a self-efficacy enhancing intervention with a family-centred approach to enable women to have a smooth transition to motherhood.