The effect of educational and supportive package by peers on the self-efficacy mothers of premature neonates: A quasi-experimental study

Abstract

The present study aims to determine the effect of educational and supportive packages by peers on the self-efficacy of mothers of premature neonates. In a quasi-experimental study, a total of 70 mothers with premature infants were randomly divided into two groups: control and intervention. The participants were selected through random sampling, and upon meeting the inclusion criteria and providing informed consent, they were invited to participate in the study. The recruitment of participants took place from July to December 2019. The initial part of the demographic form was completed by the mothers in both the intervention and control groups upon their entry into the study. The second instrument used for measuring self-efficacy was the perceived maternal parenting self-efficacy (PMP-SE) scale. Before the intervention was implemented, there was no statistically significant difference in the total self-efficacy scores between the two groups (P>0.05). Following the intervention, no significant change was noted in the intervention group when compared to the control group (P>0.05). However, a month after the intervention, a significant shift was detected in the dimension of care beliefs in the intervention group when compared to the control group (P=0.023). The findings of the current investigation indicate that the deployment of an educational-support package, administered by peer mothers, in the special care unit for newborns, resulted in an enhancement in the perceived situational beliefs of maternal self-efficacy among mothers of premature infants.