Investigation of the relationship between social support perceived by pregnant women and prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy

Introduction and aim: Social support is an effective factor to improve breastfeeding self-efficacy. This research was conducted to determine the relationship between social support perceived by pregnant women and prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy. Material and method: The population of this descriptive and correlational study consists of pregnant women in their 3rd trimester who presented to the Gynecology Outpatient Clinics of Ministry of Health-Erzincan University, Mengücek Gazi Training and Research Hospital. No sampling was attempted and 400 pregnant women who fulfilled the inclusion/exclusion criteria were included in the study. The research data were collected between March and July 2017 by the investigator in a Non-Stress Testing room through face-to-face interviews using a Descriptive Questionnaire, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and the Prenatal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale. The research was completed in November 2018. Results: The mean age of the pregnant women who were included in the study was 28.57±5.42. The mean score of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (67.77±15.04) and Prenatal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale (81.85±11.95) were found to be good. The total score of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and the scores of its Family, Friends and Significant Other subscales were found to have a significant positive but weak correlation with the mean score of the Prenatal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale. Conclusion: The social support perceived by pregnant women was found to be a factor positively affecting prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy and as the perceived social support increased, prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy also improved. Therefore, we recommend that nurses provide necessary care, consultancy and education services to pregnant women and their families starting from the prenatal period through the delivery and postpartum period. Keywords: Breastfeeding, Pregnancy, Nursing, Self-Efficacy, Prenatal Period, Social Support Keywords: Breastfeeding, Pregnancy, Nursing, Self-Efficacy, Prenatal Period, Social Support.