Correlation between postpartum unsatisfied needs of hepatitis B virus carriers and childcare competence

Abstract

BACKGROUND Hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers have special characteristics due to the illness and their psychological, physiological, and social needs, often accompanied by negative psychology such as anxiety and self-accusation. Hostile handling or avoidance coping style is not conducive to the transformation of their mother’s role, and it is difficult to meet their emotional needs and childcare needs. Therefore, the childcare competence is low. It is particularly important to formulate relevant measures to improve maternal childcare competence. AIM To analyze the correlation between the postpartum unsatisfied needs of HBV carriers and the parenting competence, and explore the related factors that affect the parenting competence. METHODS In this study, 95 HBV carriers who delivered at our hospital from June 2019 to March 2021 were selected using the convenience sampling method in this cross-sectional survey. The general information of the subjects was collected via a survey form. The Short-Form Survivor Unmet Needs Survey (SF-SUNS) and Chinese Version Parenting Sense Competence Scale (C-PSOC) were used to analyze the correlation between unmet needs and childcare competence, and multivariate hierarchical regression analysis was used to analyze the factors affecting the childcare competence of pregnant HBV carriers. RESULTS Ninety-five questionnaires were issued, and 90 valid questionnaires were returned. The valid response rate was 94.74%. The total score of the SF-SUNS scale for the 90 HBV carriers was 73.54 ± 12.75, and the total score of the C-PSOC scale was 68.66 ± 8.12. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the total score and the scores of each dimension of the SF-SUNS scale for pregnant HBV carriers were negatively correlated with the total score and the scores of each dimension of the C-PSOC scale (r < 0, P < 0.05). Hierarchical regression analysis showed that education level, parenting knowledge, previous parenting experience, participation in infant care work, postpartum depression, and social support were factors influencing maternal competence in parenting in HBV carriers (P < 0.05). After controlling for general demographic data, the total score and scores of all dimensions of the SF-SUNS scale were influencing factors on the competence of pregnant HBV carriers (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION There are moderate postpartum unmet needs of HBV carriers and childcare competency, and the two are negatively correlated. Medical staff should pay attention to assessing the unmet needs of HBV carriers after delivery and improving their parenting knowledge, social support, and psychological status to improve maternal and child-raising competency.