First-time parents’ support needs and perceived support from a child health service with the integrated New Families home visiting programme

Print version: 2024. 34, (1-2), 20–32The transition to parenthood is complex and influenced by interacting factors related to society, the parents and the child. Professional support is considered to be one of the societal factors affecting this transition by facilitating parents’ sense of confidence and their competence as parents. In this study, we aimed to explore first-time parents’ support needs and experiences of support from a child health service with the integrated New Families home visiting programme, in the context of their transition to parenthood in the first year postnatally. Interpretive description guided this qualitative study. Six couples and one mother, all well-educated and employed, were interviewed individually (N = 13). The parents were recruited from the research project ‘New Families – Innovation and Development of the Child Health Service in Oslo’. We found that being a first-time parent is perceived as overwhelming and that defining support needs may be challenging, particularly in the first period postnatally. In addition, the support needs are constantly changing due to the complexity of interacting factors and the ongoing development of confidence in the parental role. Retrospectively, the parents were satisfied overall with the support from the child health service. The home visit during pregnancy facilitated management and relational and informational continuity. However, we identified a need for even more proactive information provision and communication to optimise the service’s availability and efficiency postnatally. In addition, the importance of peers and of approaching both mothers and fathers must be acknowledged in facilitating parental confidence.publishedVersio

First‐time parents' experiences related to parental self‐efficacy: A scoping review

Becoming a parent for the first time is a major transition, and parental self-efficacy (PSE) is considered an important predictor of parenting functioning. We aimed to describe and synthesize qualitative studies that explore first-time parents' experiences related to PSE in the transition to parenthood in the first-year postpartum. We conducted a scoping review in accordance with international guidelines. The main search strategy consisted of searches in six electronic databases. We selected studies based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data, and conducted a descriptive qualitative thematic analysis. We included 58 studies (presented in 61 reports) with 1341 participants from 17 countries. Most of the participants (89%) were mothers, and a third of the studies were task-specific regarding breastfeeding. The thematic analysis of the findings concerning PSE revealed five main, interconnected themes: culture—factors in society and the healthcare services; parents—processes within the parents; tasks—different parental tasks; support—parents' perceived support from professionals, peers, friends, family, and partner; and child—the child's well-being and feedback. This scoping review describes qualitative studies on first-time parents' experiences related to PSE. The findings inform future studies of PSE and clinical practice by confirming the importance of PSE in the transition to parenthood, the complexity of different factors that may have an impact, and the centrality of breastfeeding in PSE. Based on these findings, we suggest that a full systematic review with quality assessment would be appropriate

First-time parents' experiences related to parental self-efficacy: A scoping review

Becoming a parent for the first time is a major transition, and parental self‐efficacy (PSE) is considered an important predictor of parenting functioning. We aimed to describe and synthesize qualitative studies that explore first‐time parents' experiences related to PSE in the transition to parenthood in the first‐year postpartum. We conducted a scoping review in accordance with international guidelines. The main search strategy consisted of searches in six electronic databases. We selected studies based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data, and conducted a descriptive qualitative thematic analysis. We included 58 studies (presented in 61 reports) with 1341 participants from 17 countries. Most of the participants (89%) were mothers, and a third of the studies were task‐specific regarding breastfeeding. The thematic analysis of the findings concerning PSE revealed five main, interconnected themes: culture—factors in society and the healthcare services; parents—processes within the parents; tasks—different parental tasks; support —parents' perceived support from professionals, peers, friends, family, and partner; and child—the child's well‐being and feedback. This scoping review describes qualitative studies on first‐time parents' experiences related to PSE. The findings inform future studies of PSE and clinical practice by confirming the importance of PSE in the transition to parenthood, the complexity of different factors that may have an impact, and the centrality of breastfeeding in PSE. Based on these findings, we suggest that a full systematic review with quality assessment would be appropriate

First-time parents' experiences related to parental self-efficacy: A scoping review

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial‐NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non‐commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.Becoming a parent for the first time is a major transition, and parental self‐efficacy (PSE) is considered an important predictor of parenting functioning. We aimed to describe and synthesize qualitative studies that explore first‐time parents' experiences related to PSE in the transition to parenthood in the first‐year postpartum. We conducted a scoping review in accordance with international guidelines. The main search strategy consisted of searches in six electronic databases. We selected studies based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data, and conducted a descriptive qualitative thematic analysis. We included 58 studies (presented in 61 reports) with 1341 participants from 17 countries. Most of the participants (89%) were mothers, and a third of the studies were task‐specific regarding breastfeeding. The thematic analysis of the findings concerning PSE revealed five main, interconnected themes: culture—factors in society and the healthcare services; parents—processes within the parents; tasks—different parental tasks; support —parents' perceived support from professionals, peers, friends, family, and partner; and child—the child's well‐being and feedback. This scoping review describes qualitative studies on first‐time parents' experiences related to PSE. The findings inform future studies of PSE and clinical practice by confirming the importance of PSE in the transition to parenthood, the complexity of different factors that may have an impact, and the centrality of breastfeeding in PSE. Based on these findings, we suggest that a full systematic review with quality assessment would be appropriate.publishedVersio

Quality of life in Norwegian pregnant women and men with pregnant partners, and association with perception of sleep and depressive symptoms: a cross-sectional study

Background: Pregnant women and men with pregnant partners experience variations in quality of life (QoL) during pregnancy, a period characterized by physical, psychological, and social changes. Pregnancy is associated with reduced QoL, depressive symptoms, and sleep problems. This study aimed to: (1) determine whether Norwegian pregnant women and men with pregnant partners differed in QoL levels in the third trimester of pregnancy; (2) determine whether the relationship between perception of sleep and QoL is moderated by depressive symptoms, when analyzed separately in pregnant women and men with pregnant partners; and (3) determine whether selected possible predictive factors were associated with QoL when stratified by level of depressive symptoms, in pregnant women and men with pregnant partners separately. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted between October 2018 and January 2020 included 228 pregnant women and 197 men with pregnant partners in the third trimester of pregnancy. The age range was 22–50 years. QoL was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire brief version, depressive symptoms using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and perception of sleep by a single item. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 28 using descriptive statistics, the PROCESS macro for moderation analyses, and multivariate linear regression. The level of statistical significance was p < 0.05. Results: Pregnant women reported significantly lower QoL scores on the physical health and psychological domains than the men with pregnant partners. Our data did not reveal any moderating effect of depressive symptoms on the relationship between the perception of sleep and QoL. Depressive symptoms in the pregnant women were found to be a significant predictor of lower QoL in all domains. In the men with pregnant partners, getting enough sleep was a significant predictor of higher QoL in all domains. In the pregnant women without depressive symptoms, higher QoL in the physical health domain was significantly associated with the perception of getting enough sleep. Conclusion: Women in the final trimester of pregnancy experience poor QoL compared to the men with pregnant partners. Pregnant women with depressive symptoms have lower QoL compared to those without depressive symptoms. The perception of getting enough sleep was associated with better QoL.publishedVersio

Helsestasjonstilbudet i Oslo under covid-19 – førstegangsmødres erfaringer

Bakgrunn: Helsestasjonstjenesten er i kontakt med nesten alle foreldre og barn det første leveåret og frem til skolestart og har en sentral rolle med å veilede, støtte og trygge foreldrene. Oslo kommune har i tillegg til det ordinære helsestasjonsprogrammet iverksatt hjemmebesøksprogrammet «Nye familier» som en del av helsestasjonstilbudet for å gi ekstra støtte til alle førstegangsforeldrene. Helsedirektoratet iverksatte våren 2020 midlertidige nasjonale retningslinjer for helsestasjonstjenesten som følge av covid-19, der helsestasjonsprogrammet ble kraftig redusert. Hensikt: Hensikten med undersøkelsen var å kartlegge hvordan førstegangsmødre erfarte helsestasjonstilbudet i forbindelse med covid-19- pandemien. Vi ønsket også å undersøke om førstegangsmødre som mottok hjemmebesøksprogrammet «Nye familier», hadde andre erfaringer enn dem som ikke mottok programmet. Metode: Studien var en tverrsnittsundersøkelse, og dataene ble samlet inn ved å bruke Nettskjema. Deskriptive analyser ble utført i SPSS. Studien rekrutterte mødre som deltar i forskningsprosjektet «Nye familier». Resultat: Responsraten var 62 prosent (111 mødre). Syttiåtte mødre (70 prosent) hadde benyttet en eller ere kontaktformer til helsestasjonen, og re (4 prosent) hadde ikke fått kontakt med en helsesykepleier ved behov. En større andel av mødrene i bydelene med hjemmebesøksprogrammet (intervensjonsbydelene) hadde hatt kontakt med helsestasjonen (p = 0,028). Mødrene som hadde hatt telefonkontakt, rapporterte at slik kontakt fungerte dårligere (n = 17 / 63 prosent) eller like godt (n = 5 / 19 prosent) som tidligere helsestasjonskonsultasjoner. Majoriteten av mødrene (n = 71 / 64 prosent) hadde erfart helsestasjonstilbudet som forventet. Konklusjon: En stor andel av mødrene hadde vært i kontakt med helsestasjonen i perioden, og signikant ere i intervensjonsbydelene enn i kontrollbydelene. Mer enn en tredjedel av mødrene rapporterte at de kk utilstrekkelig informasjon om endringer i tjenestetilbudet i perioden. Mødrene foretrakk det ordinære tilbudet, men så likevel ut til å tilpasse seg endringene og det tilbudet som ble gitt.publishedVersio

Helsestasjonstilbudet i Oslo under covid-19 – førstegangsmødres erfaringer

Bakgrunn: Helsestasjonstjenesten er i kontakt med nesten alle foreldre og barn det første leveåret og frem til skolestart og har en sentral rolle med å veilede, støtte og trygge foreldrene. Oslo kommune har i tillegg til det ordinære helsestasjonsprogrammet iverksatt hjemmebesøksprogrammet «Nye familier» som en del av helsestasjonstilbudet for å gi ekstra støtte til alle førstegangsforeldrene. Helsedirektoratet iverksatte våren 2020 midlertidige nasjonale retningslinjer for helsestasjonstjenesten som følge av covid-19, der helsestasjonsprogrammet ble kraftig redusert. Hensikt: Hensikten med undersøkelsen var å kartlegge hvordan førstegangsmødre erfarte helsestasjonstilbudet i forbindelse med covid-19- pandemien. Vi ønsket også å undersøke om førstegangsmødre som mottok hjemmebesøksprogrammet «Nye familier», hadde andre erfaringer enn dem som ikke mottok programmet. Metode: Studien var en tverrsnittsundersøkelse, og dataene ble samlet inn ved å bruke Nettskjema. Deskriptive analyser ble utført i SPSS. Studien rekrutterte mødre som deltar i forskningsprosjektet «Nye familier». Resultat: Responsraten var 62 prosent (111 mødre). Syttiåtte mødre (70 prosent) hadde benyttet en eller ere kontaktformer til helsestasjonen, og re (4 prosent) hadde ikke fått kontakt med en helsesykepleier ved behov. En større andel av mødrene i bydelene med hjemmebesøksprogrammet (intervensjonsbydelene) hadde hatt kontakt med helsestasjonen (p = 0,028). Mødrene som hadde hatt telefonkontakt, rapporterte at slik kontakt fungerte dårligere (n = 17 / 63 prosent) eller like godt (n = 5 / 19 prosent) som tidligere helsestasjonskonsultasjoner. Majoriteten av mødrene (n = 71 / 64 prosent) hadde erfart helsestasjonstilbudet som forventet. Konklusjon: En stor andel av mødrene hadde vært i kontakt med helsestasjonen i perioden, og signikant ere i intervensjonsbydelene enn i kontrollbydelene. Mer enn en tredjedel av mødrene rapporterte at de kk utilstrekkelig informasjon om endringer i tjenestetilbudet i perioden. Mødrene foretrakk det ordinære tilbudet, men så likevel ut til å tilpasse seg endringene og det tilbudet som ble gitt

The Impact of the New Families Home Visiting Program on Depressive Symptoms Among Norwegian Fathers Postpartum: A Nonrandomized Controlled Study

Becoming a parent is a vulnerable life transition and may affect parents’ mental health. Depressive symptoms may occur in fathers, as well as mothers, during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The health service is expected to have a family perspective, aiming to support both parents. Despite this goal, mothers traditionally receive more support than fathers. Home visiting programs may provide enhanced guidance for new fathers and increased mental health support. The aim of this study was therefore to assess possible differences in level of depressive symptom in fathers receiving the New Families home visiting program compared with those receiving standard care from the Norwegian Child Health Service. A prospective nonrandomized controlled study with a parallel group design was performed. The Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to measure depressive symptoms in fathers (N = 197) at 28 weeks of their partners’ pregnancy (T1), at 6 weeks (T2), and 3 months postpartum (T3), in the intervention and the control group. The results indicate a prevalence of depressive symptoms (EPDS score 10) in Norwegian fathers of 3.1% at T1, 3.9% at T2, and 2.2% at T3 for the full sample. No significant EPDS score differences were found between the intervention and the control group at six weeks and three months postpartum. This suggests that the intervention had no clear impact on depressive symptoms during this time-period

Quality of life in Norwegian pregnant women and men with pregnant partners, and association with perception of sleep and depressive symptoms: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Pregnant women and men with pregnant partners experience variations in quality of life (QoL) during pregnancy, a period characterized by physical, psychological, and social changes. Pregnancy is associated with reduced QoL, depressive symptoms, and sleep problems. This study aimed to: (1) determine whether Norwegian pregnant women and men with pregnant partners differed in QoL levels in the third trimester of pregnancy; (2) determine whether the relationship between perception of sleep and QoL is moderated by depressive symptoms, when analyzed separately in pregnant women and men with pregnant partners; and (3) determine whether selected possible predictive factors were associated with QoL when stratified by level of depressive symptoms, in pregnant women and men with pregnant partners separately. Methods A cross-sectional study conducted between October 2018 and January 2020 included 228 pregnant women and 197 men with pregnant partners in the third trimester of pregnancy. The age range was 22–50 years. QoL was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire brief version, depressive symptoms using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and perception of sleep by a single item. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 28 using descriptive statistics, the PROCESS macro for moderation analyses, and multivariate linear regression. The level of statistical significance was p < 0.05. Results Pregnant women reported significantly lower QoL scores on the physical health and psychological domains than the men with pregnant partners. Our data did not reveal any moderating effect of depressive symptoms on the relationship between the perception of sleep and QoL. Depressive symptoms in the pregnant women were found to be a significant predictor of lower QoL in all domains. In the men with pregnant partners, getting enough sleep was a significant predictor of higher QoL in all domains. In the pregnant women without depressive symptoms, higher QoL in the physical health domain was significantly associated with the perception of getting enough sleep. Conclusion Women in the final trimester of pregnancy experience poor QoL compared to the men with pregnant partners. Pregnant women with depressive symptoms have lower QoL compared to those without depressive symptoms. The perception of getting enough sleep was associated with better QoL

The impact of New Families home visiting program on first-time mothers’ quality of life and its association with social support: a non-randomized controlled study

Abstract Background The transition to motherhood is characterized by physical, psychological, social, and relational changes. Quality of life (QoL) changes substantially during this transition. Higher QoL is associated with social support, essential for coping with the challenges and changes of becoming a mother. An early universal home visiting program (New Families) is developed to strengthen and support families. The study aims to evaluate the impact of New Families on first-time mothers’ QoL and to investigate the association between their QoL, social support, and selected possible predictive factors. Methods A prospective non-randomized controlled study with parallel group design. Child Health Services in five city districts of Oslo were matched in intervention and control groups. First-time mothers were allocated based on the residential area and assessed at pregnancy week 28 (N = 228), six weeks postpartum (N = 184), and three months postpartum (N = 167). Measures of the World Health Organization Quality of Life brief, Perinatal Infant Care Social Support Scale, and background variables were collected from October 2018 to June 2020. Multivariate linear regression models were applied to examine intervention impact and assess associations. Results Our data did not reveal a significant association between New Families intervention and the QoL levels of first-time mothers at three months postpartum. Thus, we analyzed the whole sample together. Emotional support was significantly associated with higher QoL levels in the physical health (B = 0.19, 95%CI [0.04 to 0.34]) and social relationships (B = 0.40, 95%CI [0.20 to 0.60]) domains. Appraisal support was significantly associated with higher QoL levels in the psychological (B = 0.34, 95%CI [0.18 to 0.50]) and environment (B = 0.33, 95%CI [0.19 to 0.48]) domains. QoL levels in pregnancy were significantly associated with QoL levels postpartum, showing small to medium effect size (ES = 0.30 to 0.55), depending on the domain. Conclusions Further research, including qualitative interviews, could provide more insights into the impact of New Families on QoL. A positive association between QoL levels in pregnancy and postpartum suggests that postnatal interventions targeting improved QoL could potentially improve postpartum QoL. Emotional and appraisal support seems beneficial for first-time mothers’ QoL and could be provided and facilitated by public health nurses. Trial registration clinicaltrial.gov NCT04162626