Ballard, Sharon M.Stridick, Margaret Ann2017-06-012017-052017-04-28May 2017http://hdl.handle.net/10342/6170Participants 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.application/pdfenChildbirth--Study and teaching--North Carolina --GreenvilleParenting--Study and teaching--North Carolina --GreenvilleSelf-efficacy--North Carolina--GreenvilleMaster's Thesis2017-05-30