Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Pregnant Women and Their Spouses Toward Intraspinal Labor Analgesia

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of pregnant women and their spouses toward intraspinal delivery analgesia. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited pregnant women and their spouses at Qilu Hospital in 2023. Results: A total of 628 valid questionnaires were included (465 pregnant women and 163 spouses). The mean KAP scores were 6.44 ± 6.04 (possible range: 0–18), 36.33 ± 5.87 (possible range: 10–50), and 15.71 ± 3.16 (possible range: 4–20), respectively. Pregnant women had higher knowledge, attitude, and practice scores than spouses (all P<0.05). SEM showed that knowledge positively influenced both attitude (β=0.425, 95% CI: 0.352–0.497, P<0.001) and practice (β=0.580, 95% CI: 0.517–0.644, P<0.001), and attitude positively influenced practice (β=0.612, 95% CI: 0.545–0.680, P<0.001). Conclusion: Pregnant women in Shandong (China) have poor knowledge but positive attitudes and proactive practices toward intraspinal delivery analgesia during delivery. Compared with their spouses, pregnant women demonstrated better KAP toward intraspinal delivery analgesia. These findings highlight the need to provide education for spouses to support informed decision-making, while interpretations should consider the single-center scope and cultural context. Importantly, the results support integrating spouse-focused education into routine antenatal care.