Elham Azmoude - MS in Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Farzaneh Jaafarnejad - Instructor of Midwifery, Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Seyedreza Mazloum - Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Background: Most primiparous women don’t have enough sense of competency, most of it being due to lack of experience. Maternal self efficacy-based training, have led to improved maternal-infant outcomes. Aim: : To determine the effect of self-efficacy education on maternal sense of competency of primiparous women in the infant care. Methods: In this clinical trial, 61 primiparous women were randomly divided into two groups. In the intervention group, an educational program was applied based on Bandura s self-efficacy theory 10-15 days postpartum. The research instruments were parental expectations survey, Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, Perceived Social Support Scale, Infant Temperament, and Edinburg Depression Scale. Reliability and validity of the instruments were confirmed using the method of content validity and internal consistency. Data were analyzed using independent t-tests, Mann-Whitney U, paired t test and Wilcoxon. Results: The mean age of the mothers was 24/4±3/2 years. The two groups were homogenous in terms of personal characteristics, although a significant difference was seen in terms of perceived social support (p<0.05). Before the intervention, the mean score for maternal sense of competency was not statistically difference between the intervention (68/8±7/6) and control groups (66/7±7/9) (P=0/315).After the intervention, the difference between the mean score of maternal sense of competency in the intervention group (75/5±9/0) and control group (68/3±9/6) was statistically significant (p=0/004).  Conclusion: Given the importance of self-efficacy improvement strategies in the improvement of maternal – child outcomes, application of self-efficacy resource can improve the sense of competency in motherhood.

Education, self efficacy, infant caring, maternal sense of competency