Comparison of the Parenting Education Effect with Multimedia and Social Media on Nurses' Parental Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The majority of female nurses have maternal responsibilities; therefore, psychological support, parenting education, and lifestyle modifications to reduce parental stress are particularly significant for this group. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the effects of parenting education delivered through multimedia and social media on nurses' parental stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This quasi-experimental research was conducted in 2020 in selected hospitals in Tehran, where participants were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (social media and multimedia) and one control group (n = 20 per group). A total of 60 female nurses were recruited through convenience sampling. In the multimedia group, nurses received four DVDs, each containing five training sessions, over a period of four weeks. In the social media group, educational materials, including voice-narrated PowerPoint presentations, were delivered via Rubika and WhatsApp messengers in 20 sessions over four weeks. The control group received no intervention. The Parenting Stress Index was used for data collection both before the intervention and two weeks after its completion. Results: There was no significant difference in parental stress scores between the three groups before the intervention (P = 0.956); however, the difference after the intervention was significant (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Education delivered through social media had a greater impact on reducing nurses' parental stress compared to multimedia. This method is recommended for educating nurses to reduce stress and enhance their performance.