The effect of educational intervention based on self‑efficacy theory on pregnancy anxiety and childbirth outcomes among Iranian primiparous women
نویسندگان
1 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Faculty of Health, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
2 Department of Public Health, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Faculty of Health, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
3 Department of Public Health, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Faculty of Health, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran, Department of Midwifery, Shahid Rahimi (Tamin Ejtemaei) Hospital, Birjand, Iran
4 Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
doi
چکیده
BACKGROUND: Pregnancy anxiety is associated with a diverse birth outcomes. Mothers’ educationcould have a critical role in increasing their self‑efficacy to defeat their anxiety and improve pregnancyand child birth outcomes. The study was conducted to examine the effect of intervention based onself‑efficacy theory on pregnancy anxiety and child birth outcomes.MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted as a quasi‑experimental design on60primiparous women (26–28 weeks) in Birjand (East Iranian province) from May to September 2017,who were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention group received8 sessions of 90‑min educational intervention based on self‑efficacy theory strategies besides theroutine prenatal care. Vanden Bergh’s pregnancy anxiety questionnaire and checklist of pregnancyand delivery outcomes were used for data collection.RESULTS: The level of pregnancy anxiety was similar in both groups before the intervention, butimmediately and 1 month after the intervention, the mean score of pregnancy anxiety significantlyreduced in the intervention group and significantly increased in the control group (P < 0.001). Therewas a significant difference in mean neonatal weight (P < 0.001) between the two groups. Emergencyand elective cesarean section were significantly lower in the intervention group compared to thecontrol group (P < 0.001), but there were no significant differences in the frequency of pretermdelivery between two groups (P < 0.05).CONCLUSION: The results provide support for the effectiveness of intervention based on self‑efficacytheory in reducing pregnancy anxiety and enhancing positive pregnancy outcomes. Hence,theory‑based educational interventions may serve as a cost‑effective and noninvasive approach toreduce pregnancy anxiety in Iran.
