Designing and implementing an intervention to improve maternal social support in the postpartum period: A mixed study

Background and aims: Nowadays, social support plays a crucial role in maintaining maternal health. This study aimed to design, implement, and evaluate an intervention to promote social support for mothers during the postpartum period. Methods: This multiphase mixed-methods study consisted of three stages. First, a qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis to explore mothers’ perceptions and experiences of social support during the postpartum period. In the second stage, a systematic review of existing interventions to enhance maternal social support in the postpartum period was performed. Following this, a nominal group technique session was held to prioritize interventions based on their importance and feasibility, informed by the qualitative findings and systematic review results. In the third stage, a randomized clinical trial was conducted with 100 pregnant women and their spouses to assess the effectiveness of the designed intervention. Results: The qualitative analysis identified three main categories: “support resources,” “support barriers,” and “support promotion strategies.” During the nominal group session, a group training intervention for husbands was designed based on these findings. The randomized trial showed that the intervention group had significantly higher social support scores immediately after (79.42 ± 7.15) and one month after the intervention (84.40 ± 5.91), compared to the control group scores (37.26 ± 7.99 and 37.14 ± 6.63, respectively) (p<0.001). Conclusion: The study demonstrated that group education for spouses effectively enhances social support for postpartum mothers. Therefore, this intervention is recommended for midwives and maternal healthcare providers.