A factor analytic study of midwives' attitudes to research

Area of Science:

• Nursing and Midwifery Research
• Healthcare Professional Attitudes
• Research Utilization

Background:

• Midwives are increasingly encouraged to conduct research as part of their professional duties.
• Despite directives, a notable shortfall exists in published midwifery research.
• Commonly cited reasons include lack of time, confidence, and skills, potentially masking underlying attitudes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate midwives' attitudes towards research.
• To determine if attitudes correlate with research engagement and publication.
• To identify factors that could enhance midwifery research output.

Main Methods:

• A national survey was conducted with 397 midwives.
• Factor analysis with an orthogonal solution was used to analyze attitude responses.
• Further analysis examined the relationship between identified factors and research activities.

Main Results:

• Factor analysis revealed four key attitude components: professional value of midwifery research, research's value to practice, the midwife's research role, and midwife competence.
• The value of research for midwifery practice and the perceived value by other professionals were significantly linked to undertaking and publishing research.
• These two factors emerged as crucial predictors of research behavior.

Conclusions:

• Midwives' attitudes towards research significantly influence their engagement in research activities and publication.
• Addressing perceptions of research value and professional recognition is key to increasing midwifery research output.
• Targeted interventions focusing on these attitudinal factors can foster a more research-active midwifery profession.