The effectiveness of increasing the self-efficacy of childbirth through reality therapy on the choice of vaginal delivery in pregnant women

 One of the important factors in choosing vaginal delivery in pregnant women is self-efficacy of childbirth. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of increasing the self-efficacy of childbirth in the way of the reality therapy on the choice of vaginal delivery in pregnant women.  The research method was semi-experimental with pre-test and post-test design, and with control group. The study population included 39 pregnant women with gestational age ≥4 weeks in Nowshahr. These women had chosen cesarean section method for the termination of pregnancy and were visited for midwifery care in the urban and rural health centers from January to March 2018. The sample was selected using targeted non-random method and randomly divided into two experimental (20) and control groups (19). The reality therapy was performed in 8 sessions of 1.5 hours twice a week for the experimental group. The childbirth self-efficacy questionnaire of Lowe (CBSEL) was used for data collection. The data was analyzed using ANCOVA.  After the intervention, the self-efficacy of childbirth was significantly higher in the experimental group as compared to the control group (p<0.01). The self-efficacy of childbirth of women who chose vaginal delivery for termination of pregnancy was significantly more than those who still considered the method of cesarean section (p<0.05).  The reality therapy can be used to increase the self-efficacy of childbirth, which can have a positive effect on the choice of vaginal delivery.