Abstract
Purpose
This study explored the characteristics of women with conceptions that preceded marriage and described their feelings toward babies, maternal behavior and marital relations.
Methods
A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted by self-reported questionnaire among 198 (response rate 67.1%) primigravid women at the end of pregnancy and 173 (response rate 58.6%) husbands of those women. We distributed the questionnaire to pregnant women who were consulting an obstetrics clinic of a general hospital and collected census forms by mail or personal return. Census forms for these subjects consisted of background, attitude toward babies, maternal behavior, and marital relations, and the questionnaire for the husbands consisted of attitude toward babies, maternal behavior, marital relations and so on.
Results
There were 41 women with premarital pregnancy (20.7%). Twenty-one of these women were under 25 years old. The mean ages in the premarital pregnancy group for both the pregnant women (p<0.001) and their husbands (p<0.01) were significantly younger than control group, junior high school graduates or high school dropouts comprised significantly higher percentage than that in the control group (p<0.01). A key factor behind their decision to marry in the premarital pregnancy group were 'married because of pregnancy' was reported by about 70%, 'Planned marriage' was reported by about 50%. The score for feelings toward babies in the premarital pregnancy group was 28.3±8.1, and there was no significant difference between the two groups for feelings toward babies 'attachment'. However, scores for women in the premarital pregnancy group who are under 25 years old were lower than those of the control group. Negative feelings toward babies in the premarital pregnancy group were lower than those of the control group (p<0.05). Overall maternal behavior score did not significantly differ between the two groups. But in the subclassification 'I lead a well-regulated life ' (p<0.05), 'I aggressively participate in, mothers' classes and parents' classes and so on' (p<0.05), scores were significantly lower than those in the control group. In women who were under 25 years old 'I am happy when I image my baby' (p<0.05), 'I often talk to my baby' (p<0.01) were lower than those in the control group. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding marital relations. Particularlly among women under 25 years old, wives in the premarital pregnancy group showed on lower marital relations score than that in the control group.
Conclusion
There was no significant difference between the two groups for feelings toward babies 'attachment', maternal behavior and marital relations. Negative feelings toward babies in the premarital pregnancy group were lower than those in the control group. Among women under 25 years old feelings toward babies 'attachment' and marital relation scores of their husbands were lower than those in the control group.
