Effects of a Web‐Based Antenatal Care System on Maternal Stress and Self‐Efficacy During Pregnancy: A Study in Taiwan

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Women may experience significant stress during pregnancy, and antenatal care and education provide a means to address this. E‐health, the use of computer and information technology for health care, has been incorporated into antenatal care and education, but e‐health has not been evaluated for its usefulness in addressing stress. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a web‐based antenatal care and education system on pregnancy‐related stress, general self‐efficacy, and satisfaction with antenatal care.
A quasi‐experimental design enrolled pregnant women at 16 to 24 weeks’ gestation with a low‐risk pregnancy. Women in the control group (n = 67) received routine antenatal care; women in the experimental group (n = 68) also received a web‐based antenatal care and education program in the second trimester. Pregnancy stress and general self‐efficacy were assessed at study entry and again at 36 to 38 weeks’ gestation; satisfaction with care was assessed at the study endpoint.
When the pretest scores were controlled, the women in the experimental group reported significantly lower pregnancy‐related stress (F  =  12.9, P < .001) and significantly higher self‐efficacy (F = 17.61, P < .001) than did the women in the control group. Women in the experimental group reported lower pregnancy‐related stress (t = 5.09, P < .001) and a higher general self‐efficacy (t = −3.17, P = .001) at posttest compared to pretest. However, the women in the control group reported a lower general self‐efficacy at posttest compared to pretest (t = 2.86, P = .006). Women in the experimental group reported significantly higher satisfaction levels with antenatal care than those in the control group.
A web‐based antenatal care and education system can improve pregnancy‐related stress and general self‐efficacy among pregnant women. Integrating health care with web‐based or internet‐based interventions may improve the quality of antenatal care.