EFFECT OF TELEPHONE POSTPARTUM FOLLOW-UP: A CLINICAL TRIAL.
Contributors: University of California, San Francisco.
Published: 1988
Number of pages: 192
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: In a prospective, unmasked, clinical trial, 39 low risk primiparous postpartum women were randomly assigned to one of two study groups. Study mothers were living with the father of their healthy newborns, and ranged in age from 18-37 years. Group I mothers received six weekly nurse-initiated postpartum follow-up telephone contacts following hospital discharge. Group II mothers received standard postpartum follow-up nursing care. The purposes of this study were: (1) to explicate a postpartum follow-up telephone clinical nursing protocol, and (2) to conduct a preliminary clinical test of the effect of the protocol on maternal adaptation during the first eight weeks postpartum.

The treatment, telephone-based postpartum follow-up nursing care, was based on specific objectives for maternal adaptation during the first two months postpartum gleaned from the literature and entailed explicit nursing assessment and intervention content. While structured in content, the experimental treatment was individualized in implementation. The integrity of the independent variable was monitored by coding the topics discussed and nursing actions taken during each telephone contact on a nursing care record sheet, with elaboration in the form of narrative notes.

The dependent variable, maternal postpartum adaptation, was operationalized as maternal reported mood disturbance, maternal sense of competence as a parent and maternal developmental expectations. Data collection occurred at 8 weeks postpartum using mailed self-report measures. Standardized instruments included Profile of Mood States (POMS) (McNair, Lorr, & Droppleman, 1971), Parental Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC) (Gilbaud-Wallston & Wandersman, 1978), and Developmental Expectations (DE) (Barnard, 1983). Qualitative data included the mother's feelings about being a mother, perceived greatest concerns, Mother's Rating of General Health/Infant Health (Adapted by Mercer from Barnard, 1979).

Comparison of the experimental and control groups found no significant differences between the two groups. However, the difference in the POMS total mood disturbance scores was in the predicted direction. The POMS total mood disturbance scores were moderately negatively correlated with PSOC total scores. Analysis of demographic and baseline variables revealed no significant differences between the study groups. Related findings include the need for casefinding and referral during the first two months postpartum.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-07, Section: B, page: 2567.

Thesis (D.N.S.)--UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO, 1988.

School code: 0034.