The Finnish family competence study. Childbearing attitudes in pregnant nulliparae.

In this paper, the childbearing and childrearing attitudes of 1,443 primigravid women are characterized in relation to their level of knowledge of childbirth. Mothers with little childbirth knowledge needed extra support in the transition to parenthood. Their attitude toward pregnancy was more negative and they were less interested in obtaining childbirth information. The level of childbirth knowledge was measured by means of a questionnaire during the mother's first visit to the maternity health care clinic. The knowledge had some prognostic value in identifying the mothers who acutely needed support in coping with the experiences of pregnancy and in the transition to parenthood.