The Effects of Baby Massage on Attachment between Mother and their Infants

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine the effect of baby massage on attachment between mothers and their newborns. METHODS: This study was carried out from June 2008 to February 2010 in a quasi-experimental design (57 in the experimental group, 60 in the control group). Between the dates of the study, all healthy primipara mothers and their healthy babies were included. Data were collected regarding their demographic characteristics and by using the Maternal Attachment Inventory (MAI). All mothers were assessed on the first and the last days of the 38-day study period. In the experimental group, the babies received a 15-minute massage therapy session everyday during the 38 days. RESULTS: There was no significant difference found in the pretest mean value baseline of the MAI score in both groups. The posttest mean values of the MAI of the experimental group mothers (90.87 +/- 10.76) were significantly higher than those of control group (85.10 +/- 15.50). There was a significant difference between groups (p < .05). CONCLUSION: The results of the study have shown that baby massage is effective in increasing the mothere infant attachment.

Maternal Identity Development Education on Maternity Role Attainment and My Baby Perception of Primiparas

PURPOSE: There are no interventional study results directed at maternal identity development education, including all stages of maternity role attainment, for expectant mothers with healthy babies. This research was conducted to assess the effect of maternal identity development education on the maternity role attainment and my baby perception of primigravidas. METHODS: The research was carried out by using pretest-posttest quasi-experimental model with control group. A total of 120 mothers and their babies participated in this study. In the collection of the data, Personal Information Form, Semantic Differentation Scale-Myself as Mother and My Baby and the Pharis Self-Confidence Scale were used. RESULTS: It was detected that the training of identification development given for the mothers increased score averages taken from the scales of Myself as Mother, My Baby and the Pharis Self-Confidence Scale; this increase was statistically significant. There was a significant positive correlation between the Pharis Self-Confidence Scale post-test score averages and scales of Myself as Mother and My Baby. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses should offer maternal identity development education, support the baby perception process in the early postnatal stages, and help develop the self-confidence of the mother in order for mothers to develop successful motherhood behaviors. Maternal identity development education should be routinely offered to all expectant mothers by specialized nurses, not just to primigravidas. There is a requirement for similar studies to be conducted on broader populations related to the subject.

Mothers' use of traditional approaches in the treatment of selected child health problems

This study aimed to understand the extent of mothers' use of traditional approaches in the treatment of certain child health problems. In total, 2,786 mothers with 0-12 month old babies living in central Mars, Turkey were enrolled in the study. Of those, 2,060 mothers participated in the questionnaire. Data were collected between June 3, 2006 and August 28, 2007 via an open-ended questionnaire to determine the mothers' socio-demographic characteristics and what types of traditional approaches they used. The percentage of mothers resorting to traditional approaches to treat each of the following symptoms was: fever, 17.3%; cough, 66.4%; earache, 48.3%; constipation, 74.4%; and diarrhea 40.7%. Mothers with higher education levels were less likely to use traditional practices. Turkey is still used as an example of the use of traditional medicine, although it is less common than in the past. Health care staff, particularly nurses, should contribute to eliminating mothers' lack of child-care knowledge

Psychometric Properties of the Child Feeding Scale in Turkish Mothers

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to adopt the Child Feeding Scale (CFS) to the Turkish language and culture and to assess the validity and the reliability of the Turkish version of the scale. METHODS: The research was methodological study design. A convenience sample of 158 mothers at a primary health care center completed a structured questionnaire including the CFS for mothers in 2008. RESULTS: In the assessment of construct validity, seven factors were identified; they related to Perceived Responsibility, Perceived Parent Weight, Perceived Child Weight, Concern About Child Weight, Pressure to Eat, Restriction, and Monitoring. The seven factors explained 57.6% of the total variance. The overall internal reliability coefficient of this scale was .75. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides evidence of the CFS's validity and reliability. The scale has potential applications for use in research. The CFS can be used to assess aspects of child-feeding perceptions, attitudes, and practices and their relationships to children's developing food acceptance patterns, the control of food intake and obesity.