Concerns of childbearing women: a Maternal Concerns Questionnaire as an assessment tool.
OBJECTIVE: To determine if a tool measures maternal concerns in different populations of women. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of data in five master's theses using the Maternal Concerns Questionnaire. SETTING: Data were collected in postpartum units and homes. Populations were composed of rural and urban women. PARTICIPANTS: Five groups of childbearing women (N = 187) during the antepartum or postpartum periods. MAIN OUTCOMES: Subjects responded to 46 items related to concerns about themselves and their infants, partners, families, and community activities. RESULTS: The Maternal Concerns Questionnaire discriminates specific concerns between populations. CONCLUSIONS: The Maternal Concerns Questionnaire can be used in clinical practice to identify the specific concerns of mothers. The information gained can be used to individualize nursing-care plans and to measure outcomes.