A Study on Emotional Intelligence, Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy, and Prenatal Maternal Expectations in Women Attending a Pregnancy School

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI), breastfeeding self-efficacy, and maternal expectations of women who did and did not receive education and counseling during pregnancy. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in a state hospital with 146 pregnant women (intervention group, n = 72; control group, n = 74). The intervention group had five stages, while the control group received standard pregnancy care. Data is collected by the “Personal Information Form”, “Rotterdam EI Scale”, “Prenatal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale”, and “Prenatal Maternal Expectations Scale”. When the emotional intelligence scores increased in the intervention group, breastfeeding self-efficacy and antenatal motherhood expectations also increased in the intervention group. In addition, the intervention group’s EI, EI self-evaluation sub-dimension, prenatal motherhood expectations, unrealistic negative motherhood expectations mean, and breastfeeding self-efficacy scale were higher than those of the control group. The regression analysis revealed that the “self-evaluation” sub-dimension of the EI in the intervention group is correlated with regulate others and their own emotions, EI, breastfeeding self-efficacy, and prenatal motherhood expectations. This study shows that pregnant women who attended antenatal classes during the prenatal period had higher EI, breastfeeding self-efficacy, and prenatal maternal expectations than those who were pregnant and did not receive education.