Effect of group teaching projects on women's stress during postpartum hospitalization

In view of the trend toward early hospital discharge and an acute nursing shortage in Taiwan, the effectiveness of postpartum teaching in meeting a mother's immediate need for task performance should be evaluated. The purpose of this study was to identify and document the effectiveness of group teaching programs conducted as a collaborative effort by nursing teachers and student nurses during the practicum period. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with data collected from 230 women (control group was 119 women; experimental group was 111 women, including three subgroups: subgroup 1 received "maternal care" classes; subgroup 2 received "infant feeding" classes; and subgroup 3 received "newborn care" classes) at one medical center in southern Taiwan. The Postpartum Stress Inventory and a Social Support Scale were used to obtain postpartum stress and social support ratings for both groups. The t-test was used to compare the differences between groups of mean scores for postpartum stress and social support. Findings show that the mother-related stress of the experimental subgroup 1 was significantly less than in the control group, and the friend support in experimental subgroup 3 was significantly greater than in the control. Therefore, group teaching related to maternal care was found to be effective in lowering stress and classes related to newborn care resulted in increased friend support for the mother. More evidence concerning the effectiveness of such teaching in economic terms and in terms of human welfare is urgently needed.