Review Article
Jasmah Md Hassan
Abstract
Background: Postpartum adjustment to the first-time parents is a great challenge in life. Failure to adjust and adapt in the early period of postpartum could lead to a more serious psychological disorders in the mothers as well as the fathers. Therefore, this study aimed to review the effectiveness of prenatal education as an early intervention toward postpartum adjustment and psychological well-being among the parents. Methods: An online electronic database searched was conducted and the relevant studies were selected and included based on the selection criteria. Result: Six studies were included in this review, however no consistent results were found in the studies. Three of the studies reported significant differences between the intervention and standard care groups. One of the study indicate a significant difference of the intervention in the prenatal period but no differences during the postpartum period. Studies which focused on specific psychological issues in the postpartum period would show a more significant result if the issues were presented during prenatal intervention. Conclusion: Prenatal education had different level of effectiveness in the postpartum adjustment and psychological well-being of a parent. The early intervention aimed at specific psychological issues during the postpartum period would yield a more effective result as compared to a more general postpartum adjustment issues. There were no standardized prenatal education program for the expecting parents but most of the studies structured the education programs according to their targeted needs of the study.