Effects of Prenatal Parenting Education Classes

Abstract

Participants were pregnant women receiving prenatal care through East Carolina University's Brody Medical Center, along with their partners. The present study investigated the effects of prenatal education regarding self-care, child care, child cognitive, emotional and physical development on parental self-efficacy, knowledge of child development through age one, social support, realistic expectations, and stress levels. Data were collected through the use of pre-post class surveys and measurements that were analyzed using SPSS version 22 statistical software. Results suggested that participants increased their parenting self-efficacy through gains in knowledge of infant care and development. Perceived stress levels decreased significantly from pre-test to post-test at both time one and at time two measures. Participants who attended a greater number of classes reported a greater degree of change from pre-test to their final post-test measures of parenting self-efficacy and perceived stress. Implications are that a focused intervention with limited dosage may be effective at reducing prenatal stress through helping expectant parents feel better prepared for parenthood. Implementation in existing group prenatal settings would maximize reach.