Parental Perception of Changes in Family Functioning From Late Pregnancy to Early Parenthood

Abstract

This study was designed to identify whether changes occur in parental perception of family functioning from the third trimester of pregnancy to the early postpartum period. A secondary purpose was to compare maternal and paternal perception of family functioning. Subjects were middle class, primarily Caucasian, married couples attending childbirth preparation classes in a midwestern community. The Feetham Family Functioning Survey was used in data collection. This instrument measures the relationship between the family and individual members (Factor I), the subsystem (Factor II), and broader units within the community (Factor III). In testing the first null hypothesis, that there would be no significant change in family functioning from pregnancy to postpartum period, t tests for repeated measures were done. For the men, there were no significant differences in their perceptions about the family. There were significant changes in the women's perception of family functioning for Factor I (relationship with the individual members) and Factor III (the community relationships) and for the overall family functioning score. The second null hypothesis was that there would be no significant difference between maternal and paternal perception of family functioning in the postpartum period, controlling for pregnancy scores. Analysis of covariance was used to test this hypothesis and no significant differences were found, thus supporting the null hypothesis. Implications for maternal-child nursing practice are discussed.