Introducing Norwegian parents to the Circle of Security Parenting program during the postpartum period: A qualitative descriptive study

Abstract

Objective: Public health nurses in Norway provide a range of health promotion and primary prevention services to families in the postpartum period. The study objectives were to describe parents' experiences of: 1) being introduced to the Circle of Security Parenting program during a home visit and 2) participating in a parent group meeting.Design: Qualitative descriptive study. Sample:A purposeful sample of 24 caregivers (n = 15 mothers, n = 9 fathers) parenting an infant. Measures:In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted to document participants experiences. Content analysis was used to code and categorize the data.Findings: Three main categories with seven subcategories reflected the parents' experiences: 1) Confidence-building home visit, 2) Awareness-raising parental group, 3) Dissemination of knowledge. Conclusions:The parents experienced the home visit as being on their family's terms and reassuring. The parental group session started a reflection process which made them aware of the importance of being present for their child, how to modify their communication and have a common understanding of childrearing. The parents thought the group was a great way to introduce the Circle of Security Parenting program and experienced it as a continuation of the information presented at the home visit. The introduction provided them with new knowledge. K E Y W O R D Schild health clinic, Circle of Security Parenting, home visit, parental groups, public health nursing BACKGROUNDThe transition to parenthood may cause parents to feel uncertain about their new role and the expected changes to daily routines. Some new parents also express feeling poorly prepared to assume this new role (Barimani et al., 2017). Previous studies have indicated the need to improve parents' preparation for parenthood and noted the importance of including fathers in education and preparation (Deave et al., 2008;Martins, 2019). The work of public health nurses (PHN) in Norway consists of health promotion and primary prevention. The target group for PHNs in Norway is primarily individuals and families through the provision of child health clinics (CHC), school health services, and youth health services (Norwegian Directorate of Health, 2017). Municipalities are responsible for managing the services in accordance with Norwegian laws and regulations (Norwegian Board of Health, 2012). Public health nurses have a central role in this service and are the health care workers who meet with families most frequently. In 2019 nearly all children (98.9%) 428

First-Time Parents’ Support Needs and Perceived Support From a Child Health Service With the Integrated New Families Home Visiting Programme

“…The home visit as a form of professional support is recommended in maternal care by the World Health Organization (2022) . Home visits are found to facilitate a trusting relationship between the parents and the public health nurse (PHN; Aston et al, 2015 ), to promote parental confidence ( Bäckström et al, 2021 ; Glavin et al, 2023 ) and to enhance the involvement of fathers ( Solberg et al, 2022 ). Yonemoto et al (2021) found in their review that increasing the number of home visits may promote infant health and exclusive breastfeeding.…”