Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing
ResearchA Quasi‐experimental Outcomes Analysis of a Psychoeducation Intervention for Pregnant Women with Abuse‐related Posttraumatic Stress
Section snippets
Methods
We compared women from a single‐arm open pilot study who participated in the SMC psychoeducational intervention with women who did not receive the program, matched from a prospective observational study, known as the STACY Project, conducted by the same team. Eligible women in both studies were age 18 or older, initiating prenatal care at fewer than 28 completed weeks gestation, and able to speak English without an interpreter. Institutional Ethics Review Boards approved both studies, and
Results
Descriptive analysis of the outcome variable scales indicated that all distributions approximated normal except for the PDEQ score, which was strongly skewed with a mode of reporting no symptoms. Assumptions for parametric testing of the PDEQ were verified by a normal distribution in the error variance, using standardized residuals in a linear regression with PTSD symptoms as a predictor.
Discussion
This study was a preliminary assessment of the novel, psychoeducational SMC program, which focuses on management of PTSD symptoms in pregnant women. We specifically examined the SMC program's effect on the labor, birth, and postpartum experiences of participants. The quasi‐experimental method employed a systematically collected data set to provide a matched comparison sample to assess effect sizes on standardized assessments of six outcomes of interest. The study has a number of strengths,
Acknowledgement
Supported by Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation of Michigan and National Institutes of Health, National Institute for Nursing Research grant NR008767. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Nursing Research or the National Institutes of Health.
Heather Rowe, BSc (Hons), PhD, is a senior research fellow, Jean Hailes Research Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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Heather Rowe, BSc (Hons), PhD, is a senior research fellow, Jean Hailes Research Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Mickey Sperlich, MA, MSW, CPM, is a doctoral student, School of Social Work, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.
Heather Cameron, MPH, is a research assistant, Institute for Research on Women and Gender, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Julia S. Seng, PhD, CNM, FAAN, is an associate professor in the School of Nursing, Institute for Research on Women and Gender, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Department of Women's Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.