Effects of prenatal education on complaints during pregnancy and on quality of life.

OBJECTIVE: The study was conducted to determine the effects of prenatal education on quality of life and complaints during pregnancy.

METHODS: This study is a quasi-experimental research with a control group. Personal Information Form and Scale of Complaints during Pregnancy and their Effects on Quality of Life (SCPEQL) were used to collect the data. Thirty participants were included in both the control and the intervention groups (N = 60).

RESULTS: The mean scores of SCPEQL of the intervention group was 46.2 ± 21.1 and the mean scores of SCPEQL of the control group was 99.8 ± 21.6 in 2nd trimester. In the 3rd trimester, the mean score of SCPEQL of the intervention group was 43.5 ± 16.4, and the mean score of SCPEQL of the control group was 108.0 ± 16.8. The difference between the groups was statistically significant in 2nd and 3rd trimesters (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Findings of the study suggest that providing prenatal education reduces complaints and increases quality of life of pregnant women.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Assessing complaints during pregnancy by nurses is a part of the prenatal care. Therefore, nurses should evaluate pregnancy-related complaints. Quality of life should be increased by giving effective education about complaints during pregnancy.