THE RELATIONSHIP OF INTERNALITY AND PERCEIVED CONTROL TO CHILDBIRTH SATISFACTION IN PRIMIGRAVID WOMEN.
Contributors: New York University.
Published: 1995
Number of pages: 139
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Description: This prospective study was designed to investigate the effects of internality and perceived control on childbirth satisfaction in primigravid women who experienced a vaginal delivery. It was hypothesized that there would be a positive relationship between perceived control and childbirth satisfaction. Further, it was hypothesized that internality would augment the positive relationship of perceived control to childbirth satisfaction.

The study was based on the rationale that both beliefs about personal control and perceived control influence the extent to which an encounter is appraised as threatening or challenging. The more serious or extensive the commitments involved in an encounter in primary appraisal, the more important it may be to have the personal ability to perform the necessary behavior in situational control appraisal (Lazarus, 1980; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984; Lazarus & Launier, 1978).

The sample consisted of 80 primigravid women who were recruited from childbirth preparation classes in a suburban area and who experienced a vaginal delivery and gave birth to a healthy, full-term infant. Data were collected from the participants at two different time periods: (a) in the third trimester (Time 1), when internality was measured, and (b) within two weeks after delivery (Time 2), when measures of perceived control and childbirth satisfaction were obtained.

Pearson's correlations provided evidence of a significant positive correlation between perceived control and childbirth satisfaction, but not between internality and childbirth satisfaction. In multiple regression analyses, perceived control explained the greatest amount of variance in childbirth satisfaction.

The findings of this study provide further empirical evidence of the importance of perceived control in the mother's subsequent perception of the birth experience, but did not provide support for a positive relationship between internality and childbirth satisfaction among women attending childbirth education classes. The changing profile of women attending childbirth education classes is suggested as one explanation for the diminished relevance of internality to childbirth satisfaction. It is also possible to conjecture that among women with a high level of internality, the influence of internality on appraisal of the birth experience as stressful or not stressful depends on the level of control experienced during birth.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-10, Section: B, page: 5418.

Thesis (PH.D.)--NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, 1995.

School code: 0146.