Evaluation of pregnant women’s ability to identify taxonomies of nonverbal communication channels of haptics and kinesics

Abstract

Communication surrounds us. Pregnant women are not exempt from some forms of communication with their healthcare providers during antenatal care. The purpose of this study was to ascertain pregnant women’s ability to identify the taxonomy of haptics and kinesics as may be used during antenatal care. Participants for the study were pregnant women registered for antenatal care at the antenatal clinic of three Tertiary Health Institutions in South Eastern Nigeria. The instrument for data collection was questionnaire. Statistical analysis of data was performed using Chi-square, likelihood ratio and spearman correlation. Significant level was placed at p0.05) nor the taxonomy of kinesics (X2=1.571, p>0.05). There was no strong association between awareness of nonverbal communication and knowledge of taxonomy of haptics (r= -0.073; p>0.05) nor taxonomy of kinesics (r=0.176, p>0.05). Predominant numbers of pregnant women knew that smile is a form of nonverbal communication (X2=13.394, p<0.05). A strong association was observed between awareness of nonverbal communication and knowledge of smile as a form of nonverbal communication (r=0.331; p<0.05). The level of nonverbal communication awareness of the pregnant women did not guarantee knowledge of taxonomy of haptics and kinesics. The pregnant women were at home with expressions of nonverbal communication through body language such as smiles and nodding of the head. The study revealed that the nonverbal communication understanding of the pregnant women were superficial. Hence a formal inclusion of nonverbal communication as part of antenatal education is proposed.

Keywords

• nonverbal communication
• taxonomy of haptics
• taxonomy of kinesics
• pregnant women