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Young mothers' involvement in a prenatal and postpartum support program
Author(s) -
Wen Xiaoli,
Korfmacher Jon,
Hans Sydney L.,
Henson Linda G.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.20358
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology , social support , social contact , quality (philosophy) , association (psychology) , social psychology , philosophy , epistemology , psychotherapist
The involvement of 124 young mothers in a doula support program was measured in two dimensions—quantity of program contact and quality of mother–doula helping relationship. The study examined each dimension's differential associations with maternal outcomes, as well as the moderating effects of mother characteristics on these associations. Quantity of program contact was related to the quality of helping relationship, especially when rated by doulas. Both quantity and quality of involvement predicted the maternal outcomes, although not always in the expected direction. For mothers with limited vocabulary skills and better connections with the baby's father, program contact was more likely to promote positive birth experiences. A negative association between program contact and parenting behaviors was observed among mothers who were less mature or had less positive social relationships. The study suggests the multidimensionality of program involvement and the complexity of interactions between program and participant factors in producing program outcomes. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.