Effectiveness of Nursing Intervention on Health Locus of Control and Self-Efficacy in Women with Gestational Diabetes

Abstract

Contents: Gestational diabetes is associated with an increased risk of complications during delivery and problems for both the mother and the offspring in prenatal and postnatal periods and later life. Lack of self-care is the most important reason for mortality in diabetic patients. Self-efficacy has a significant role in enhancing successful adherence to healthy behaviors, lifestyle modifications, and diabetes control among gestational diabetes pregnant women.

Aim: The current study aimed to evaluate the nursing intervention (NI) effectiveness on health locus of control (HELOC) and self-efficacy in women with gestational diabetes (GD).
Methods: A quasi-experimental design (study and control group) was used. The researchers conducted this study at the Antenatal Outpatient Clinics of Shebin El-Kom Teaching Hospital, Menoufia Governorate, Egypt. A purposive sample of 120 women with GD was carefully chosen from the nominated setting and dispersed accidentally into two identical groups (study and control group). Three tools were used for collecting the study data: A structured self-administered questionnaire, the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale-C Form, and the General Self-efficacy Scale.

Results: There is a statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups in their internal health locus of control (HELOC) scores after the intervention, with a mean difference of 4.70 at CI 95% for the intervention group p<0.001. A non-statistically significant difference was found between the intervention group and the control group in the external health locus of control (HELOC) mean scores before and after the intervention, although there was a significant difference between the change in both groups p=0.032. Also, there is a highly statistically significant difference between the intervention group and the control group in the self-efficacy scores after the intervention in the intervention group, where p<0.001 compared to a non-significant difference between them before the intervention group intervention (p=0.555).

Conclusion: The study concluded that the women with GD who attended NI sessions obtained higher HELOC scores (internal and external) and higher self-efficacy scores than those who do not. Educational nursing intervention should become a fundamental part of the total management of gestational diabetes in antenatal outpatient clinics.