Exploring the Effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Childbirth Fear Among Single-Child Mothers in the City of Kerman, Iran (2017): A Clinical Trial Study

Painful memories from previous childbirth can linger and impose negative effects on the mind of a woman throughout her life. They may also create a permanent fear of delivery and turn into a barrier to future pregnancies. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on the fear of delivery in single-child mothers with a history of vaginal delivery in the city of Kerman, Iran. This is an experimental, interventional study with pretest-posttest design and a control group. The statistical population encompassed all single-child women in the city of Kerman who had had childbirth at least six years earlier and had not become pregnant due to childbirth fear. The sample consisted of 41 participants, 20 of whom received the MBSR group training in eight sessions (each lasting for 90 minutes). Fear of childbirth was evaluated before and after the intervention using Harman's Childbirth Attitudes Questionnaire (CAQ). Data were analyzed by SPSS 22 using a paired t test, covariance, independent t test, and chi-square test. The mean scores of childbirth fear in the intervention and control groups were 37.58 ± 5.9 and 33.19 ± 6.55, respectively, before implementing the program and 36.25 ± 5.40 and 33.00 ± 6.47 after that. The level of fear after the intervention was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (P < 0.001). Besides, the greatest effects of the instructions were observed on the fear of painful injections, loneliness, and worry over the hospital environment. Group training of MBSR is helpful in reducing childbirth fear, and thus it can be deployed as a procedure for encouraging childbearing in women who are not willing to re-experience pregnancy due to the fear of delivery.