An Evaluation of the Effect of Physiological Childbirth Preparation Classes during Pregnancy on Vaginal Delivery Self-Efficacy of Women in Selected Centers of Isfahan, Iran

Self-efficacy is an individual’s belief in his/her own ability to perform a behavior successfully and can affect his/her behavior, thought patterns, and reactions. Mothers with high self-efficacy, cope with natural childbirth by overcoming their fears. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of physiological childbirth preparation classes during pregnancy on vaginal delivery self-efficacy.
This single-blind, clinical trial with two groups was conducted on 72 pregnant women referring to selected health centers of Isfahan, Iran, in 2014. The subjects were randomly assigned to two groups. Individuals in the intervention group received 8 sessions of physiological childbirth classes, each lasting 2 hours. The control group participants were selected from centers which did not have physiological childbirth education classes. Data were collected using a demographic characteristics form, obstetric history form, and the researcher-made women's self-efficacy questionnaire (17 questions). The questionnaires were completed by mothers in the 3 stages of before the education, and 1 week and 1 month after the education. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney test in SPSS software.
Findings: The results of Mann-Whitney test showed no significant difference in self-efficacy score before the intervention between the two groups (P = 0.51). However, 1 week after the intervention (P = 0.05) and 1 month after the intervention (P = 0.04), a statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups.
Physiological childbirth education classes are effective on the improvement of self-efficacy score and selection of delivery method.