Journal of Reproduction & Infertility

Journal of Reproduction & Infertility

Effect of group counseling program for women on spouse communication regarding family planning in Zahedan health care centers in 2002

Authors
Fereshteh Najafi 1
Fatemeh Rakhshani 2
1 Department of Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
2 Public Health Department, Faculty of Health, Zahedan Medical Sciences University, Zahedan, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: Couple communication is one of the most important factors for accepitng family planning methods. Women are the principal source of information about fertility regulation for their partners and communication between partners appears to be a prerequisite for the acceptance of contraceptive methods. Different studies and observations have shown that couple communica-tion and family planning coverage are limited due to traditional and cultural concerns in Zahedan city. This study investigates the effect of group counseling with women on spouse communication about family planning. Materials and methods: A quasi-experimental study (before and after) was conducted in Zahedan in 2002. Forty four women )in fertility age) with two or more children who had not used contra-ceptive methods were selected by non- random sampling from 3 urban health centers. After comp-leting questionnaires by researcher about women and their husbands and determination of their educational needs, women were divided into 5 groups (8-9 members) and each group participated in 3 counseling sessions (based on their educational level). One month after intervention, the resu-lts were analysed by questionnaires and check- list forms using Wilcoxon, Mc-nemar and chi-square tests. Results: Wilcoxon test demonstrated that frequency of spouse communication before and after intervention were significantly different (P < 0.00001). Moreover, Chi-square test showed a signifi-sant difference after intervention between use of contraceptive methods and spouse communica-tion about family planning (with P < 0.01 for women and P < 0.05 for their husbands). After inter-vention 43% of cases selected one of the contraceptive methods and Mc-nemar test showed significant difference (P < 0.00001). Conclusion: On the base of study results appropriate counseling for women can improve spouse communication regarding family planning. Therefore, it is suggested that couple communication skills should be reinforced by suing instructional programes.
Keywords
Family planning
Group counseling
Spouse communication
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Journal of Reproduction & Infertility
Volume 5, Issue 4
Autumn 2004
Pages 338-345