Effectiveness of a Continuous Support Model During First Stage of Labor on Pain Levels and Pain Coping Behaviors in Primipara Adolescent at Nong Khai Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: In most public hospitals, family members are permitted to accompany laboring women only during certain periods in the delivery room, due to limited space and the need to reduce infection risks. As a result, nurses serve as the primary caregivers responsible for providing continuous support to laboring women throughout the first stage of labor.

Research objectives: To compare pain levels and pain-coping behaviors between first-time adolescent mothers who received a continuous support program delivered by nurses during the first stage of labor and those who received standard care.

Research Methodology: This study employed a quasi-experimental, two-group, pre-post-test design. The sample consisted of first-time adolescent mothers, divided equally into a control group and an experimental group of 20 participants each. Inclusion criteria required participants to be between 13 and 19 years of age, carrying a single fetus, at a gestational age of 37 to 42 weeks, with a cephalic presentation, and free from obstetric complications. The experimental instrument was a structured continuous support program for the first stage of labor. Two data collection instruments were used, a pain level assessment tool and a pain-coping behavior assessment tool, both validated with content validity index (CVI) scores ranging from 0.67 to 1.00, and reliability coefficients of 0.86 and 0.90, respectively. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Repeated Measurement Analysis of Variance, and Least Significant Difference tests.

Results: No statistically significant difference in pain levels was found between the experimental and control groups. Regarding pain-coping behaviors, no significant difference was observed between the two groups at the first assessment; however, statistically significant differences emerged at both the second and third assessments (p < .001).

Conclusion: The continuous support program during the first stage of labor contributed meaningfully to improved pain-coping behaviors among first-time adolescent mothers.

Implications: These findings offer a practical framework for developing labor room nurses in delivering continuous nursing care. Coordination among the antenatal, labor, and postnatal wards is also encouraged in order to implement a cohesive, supportive nursing approach, one that enables first-time adolescent mothers to adapt appropriately to their role as laboring women.