Narrative Nursing for Cesarean Mothers' Anxiety and Breastfeeding Confidence
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: 4-step narrative nursing program.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Postpartum Anxiety, Postpartum Depression (PPD), Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy, Cesarean Section Wound. Basic parameters: 18 years — 50 years · Female.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- China
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Psychological Effects and Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy of a Structured Four-Step Narrative Nursing Intervention in Cesarean Mothers: A Randomized Controlled Mixed-Methods Study
Overview
This study tests whether a nurse-led "4-step narrative nursing" program can reduce anxiety and improve breastfeeding confidence in mothers who are having a planned or non-emergency cesarean section. What is the problem? About 30-40% of Chinese cesarean mothers feel high anxiety after surgery, and 1 in 5 is at risk for postpartum depression. Low confidence in breastfeeding is also common. What will we do? We will randomly assign 160 mothers (1:1) to either: Usual care - standard education and ward care, or Usual care plus narrative nursing - four short (10-20 min) conversations with a trained nurse: Before surgery - help the mother talk about her fears. 24-48 h after surgery - encourage her to "name" pain or worries and separate them from herself. Before discharge - guide her to find positive moments and build a "strong-mom" story. Two weeks later by phone - strengthen the new story and review feeding success. What will we measure? Main result: anxiety score at 48 h (STAI scale). Other results: depression risk, breastfeeding confidence, pain, and feeding rates up to 3 months. Possible benefits: Lower anxiety, better mood, higher breastfeeding rates. No drugs or extra procedures are involved, only talking. Risks: Minimal; some mothers may feel emotional during conversations, but nurses can pause or refer to counselling if needed.
Interventions
- Behavioral 4-step narrative nursing program
Four nurse-led storytelling sessions (pre-operative externalization, post-operative deconstruction, pre-discharge reconstruction, and 2-week meaning-reconstruction phone call) aimed at reducing anxiety and increasing breastfeeding self-efficacy.
Primary outcome measures
- Postpartum anxiety at 48 hours [Time frame: 48 hours post-surgery]
Secondary outcome measures (4)
- Postpartum depression risk [Time frame: 48 hours, 2 weeks, 3 months postpartum]
- Breastfeeding self-efficacy [Time frame: 48 hours, 2 weeks, 3 months postpartum]
- Pain intensity [Time frame: 48 hours and 2 weeks postpartum]
- Breastfeeding continuation rate [Time frame: 3 months postpartum]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Women aged 18-50 years
- Scheduled for elective or non-emergency cesarean section at ≥37 weeks
- Able to communicate in Mandarin and provide written informed consent
- Expected hospital stay ≥24 h
- Singleton pregnancy with stable maternal and neonatal condition allowing routine mother-baby contact
Exclusion criteria
- Severe psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, active suicidal ideation)
- Maternal or neonatal need for ICU/NICU admission
- Emergency cesarean section preventing baseline assessment
- Communication or cognitive impairment precluding interview
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
Study locations
China · 1 center
- Yilong County Maternal and Child Health Hospital — Nanchong
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07272252 · XMUNARRCARE2025 · FJ2022B061 · XMSHLXH2320 · Basic Nursing II