Abstract:
The present study represented quasi-experimental research. It aimed to
investigate the effects of nursing support during labor on teenage mothers giving birth
for the first time. The mothers stress level and her perception of childbirth experience
were the focal points of the investigation. The sample consisted of 70 teenage mothers
who were purposively select from the labor and delivery unit at Kasemrad
Prachachuen Hospital, and were equally divided into control and experimental groups
35 in each group. The control group received the usual care from the nursing staff,
while the experimental group received nursing support during labor from the
researcher. This study was carried out between June and August, 2008. Data were
collected by using the laboring stress questionnaires and the perception of childbirth
experience questionnaires. Data were analyzed by means of independent t-test.
The results of this study showed that teenage mothers in the experimental group
who were giving birth for the first time had a statistically significantly lower mean
score regarding labor stress than that of teenage mothers in the control group who
were giving birth for the first time (p < .01). As for the childbirth experience, the
experimental group had a statistically significantly higher mean score than of the
control group (p < .01).
The findings of this study have led to the conclusion that nursing support during
labor can reduce the stress of teenage mothers in labor and so that they have a good
childbirth experience.