CPR KNOWLEDGE, SELF-EFFICACY, AND ANTICIPATED ANXIETY AS FUNCTIONS OFINFANT CHILD CPR TRAINING/

Study objective: To determine the effect of infant/child CPR training on CPR knowledge, self-efficacy, and anticipated anxiety among parents of healthy infants/children. Participants: Parents (n=36) undergoing a 4-hour training program in infant/child CPR at a tertiary-care hospi tal located in a suburb of a large metropolitan region and a control g roup of parents (n=47) without CPR training were enrolled in the study . Design: Two parallel forms developed specifically to assess the impa ct of infant/child CPR training on CPR knowledge, self-efficacy, and a nticipated anxiety were independently evaluated for their psychometric characteristics before being administered to the parents with and wit hout CPR training. The CPR-trained parents were requested to complete one form immediately before and the other 1 month after CPR training, and the control group completed the two forms over a 1-month interval. Estimates of the likelihood of infant/child CPR situations were also rated by the parents at the same times, Demographic data were obtained during administration of the second form. Results: Self-efficacy had increased significantly and anticipated anxiety about CPR had decrease d significantly 1 month after CPR training among CPR-trained parents, compared with controls. We found no significant changes in the CPR-tra ined parents' CPR knowledge or estimates of the likelihood of experien cing CPR situations over the 1-month interval on comparison with data from the controls. Conclusion: Community-based infant/child CPR traini ng programs affect parents on a variety of levels but may not effect c hanges in CPR knowledge.