Effects of Prenatal Parenting Education Classes

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