The Effectiveness of Problem-Focused Coping Strategies Training on Quality of Life in Pregnant Women with Genetic Risk of Fetal Abnormalities

Abnormalities and genetic disorders in the fetus are one of the most important traumatic events for mothers, which can cause discomfort and stress. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of training based on problem-focused coping strategies on quality of life (QOL) in pregnant women with genetic risk of fetal abnormality. The current study is a semi-experimental method with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. After randomly selected of 30 pregnant women with genetic risk of fetal abnormalities, a pretest of the quality of life Questionnaire was done and they randomly divided into two groups (experimental and control). Then the experimental group during the 12th sessions (once a week, for 60 minutes) were trained coping strategies and after completion of training, from both groups, QOL post-test was performed and analyzing the data using the descriptive statistical index and covariance analysis test. Results showed that Mothers' QOL scores increased significantly in post-test compared to pre-test, and significantly different. After the intervention, there was a significant decrease in various dimensions of QOL including anxiety, depression and physical signs and an improvement of social function and mental health in the intervention group compared to the control (F=67.48, P<0.01). It can be concluded that coping strategies training on QOL pregnant women with genetic risk of fetal abnormality is statistically significant effectiveness. In addition, it can be deduced that training of problem-focused coping strategies can serve as an effective instructive approach to prevent risks of stress among pregnant women with genetic risk of fetal abnormality.