A naturalistic test of Peplau's theory in home visiting.

Nurse-client relationships have been considered the foundation of successful home-visiting programs for vulnerable families. Even though nurse-client relationships are important when working with multiproblem families, relationship theory has not been used to guide interventions in home visiting. Identification of a fitting theory could provide direction for tailoring interventions to families at a "dose" individualized to meet their needs. This article reports a small study that tested the applicability of Peplau's theory of interpersonal relations in nursing (Peplau, 1952/1991) in the context of home visiting. Five prenatal clients and public health nurses participated in the study. Home visits were observed and audio-recorded beginning with the first prenatal home visit and ending in the early postpartum period. Audiotapes were transcribed and analyzed using a start list of codes based on Peplau's theory. Changes in the percentage of interaction assigned to the relationship phases along with a rating from the Relationship Form were compared over time to determine whether relationships progressed as predicted by Peplau. Findings of this study supported Peplau's theory. Implications for nursing practice and research are discussed.