Factors related to interest in foreign perinatal culture and confidence in the care for foreign people among nurses and midwives working in Maternal Care Units: A pilot study
2025 年 9 巻 2 号 p. 11-19
詳細
2025 年 9 巻 2 号 p. 11-19
Purpose
This pilot study aimed to explore the levels and related factors of nurses' and midwives’ interest in “culture concerning pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare for foreign people,” and their confidence in “perinatal care for foreign parents.”
Methods
A paper-based self-administered questionnaire was used to conduct this cross-sectional study. It included 19 items on demographic data, interest and confidence levels, values, and needs when providing care. The levels ranged from 1 (not at all) to 7 (very much). Association between the two levels: interest and confidence, and related factors were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation coefficients (ρ) and the Mann-Whitney U-test. Free descriptions were coded and categorized using content analysis.
Results
One nurse and eight midwives completed the survey (response rate: 30.0%). The mean value of the interest level was 5.89 and the major related factors (effect size > 0.5) were years of nursing experience at maternal care units (ρ = 0.650, P = 0.058), length of stay abroad (ρ = 0.662, P = 0.052), opportunities to interact with foreign people outside work (r = 0.730, P = 0.028), and learning experiences of cross-cultural studies (r = 0.730, P = 0.028). The mean value of confidence level was 2.33 and the major related factors were highest educational degree (ρ = 0.637, P = 0.065), opportunities to interact with foreign people outside work (r = 0.606, P = 0.069), learning experience of cross-cultural studies (r = 0.606, P = 0.069), learning experience of perinatal care for foreign people (r = 0.535, P = 0.109), have overseas experiences (r = 0.507, P = 0.128). All the participants experienced difficulties in care, and all participants reported the language barrier. They considered language skills to be required to provide care with more confidence.
Conclusion
While nurses and midwives in this study have a strong interest in foreign perinatal culture, they have low confidence in providing care, which may affect their way of providing care. This study suggests a potential need for developing learning environments for care providers to provide appropriate perinatal care to foreign people in Japan.
