Motivational interviewing as a tool for promoting self-care and prenatal care utilization in adolescent mothers: Evidence from a quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Teenage pregnancy is a high-risk pregnancy. The complications of teenage pregnancy are partially caused by the low level of self-care and lower usage rates of prenatal care. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of training based on the principles of motivational interviewing on self-care and the use of prenatal services by teenage pregnant mothers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This semi-experimental study was conducted in 2023 in Zahedan city. Sampling was done in a multistage manner. The trainings were based on motivational interviews, which were held in groups during four sessions. The participants completed the self-care questionnaire before the intervention as well as at 28-30 weeks of gestation, and a checklist of the number of cares was completed after termination of pregnancy. The final sample included 42 mothers in the intervention group and 40 mothers in the control group. Data analysis was done using SPSS software (version 26) by considering the significance level of P < 0.05. The data were analyzed using t-test, Mann-Whitney, and Chi-square tests. RESULTS: Before the intervention, there was no significant difference in mean self-care scores between the intervention group (89.23 ± 20.6) and control group (84.8 ± 15.0) (P = 0.26), while after the intervention, a significant difference was observed between the mean scores of self-care in the intervention group (103.4 ± 20.71) and control group (86.37 ± 15.13) (P < 0.001). A significant difference was found between the mean scores of number of prenatal care in the intervention group (7.33 ± 0.81) and the control group (6.2 ± 1.11) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Training based on motivational interviewing increases self-care and the usage rate of prenatal care in pregnant adolescent mothers. It is recommended to take advantage of this method to improve the quality of care and create mother-centered and mother-friendly care for teenage pregnant women.