The investigation of effects of static immersion and calming in water on pregnant women’s stress participating in preparation classes for childbirth

Stress in pregnancy can have a negative effect on mother and fetus and at last on childhood. The use of stress reduction techniques in pregnant women has an effective role in the reduction of the mother and child’s mental problems. This study aimed at determining the effect of static immersion and relaxing the pregnant women in water on stress, participating in preparation classes for childbirth in Isfahan, Iran, 2017.

The present study was a semi‑experimental and had pre‑ and post‑test one on 55 pregnant women aged 20–30 weeks (20 test group and 35 control group) participating in the preparation classes for delivery by available sampling method selected in 2017 and their stress level was assessed by depression, anxiety, and stress scale questionnaire. Then, they were divided into test and control groups. In the control group, no intervention was performed, and in the test group, static immersion and calming in water was done in Isfahan University’s 9‑Dey Pool. To analyze the data, paired t‑test, Chi‑square t‑test, and independent t‑test were used.

In this study, stress in the test group decreased after the intervention, so that the mean stress score decreased from 20.20 to 16.67 (P < 0.05). Of course, the stress level declined in the control group, but in the control group, it decreased significantly.

Based on the findings of the present study, static immersion and calming in water are considered as reducing women’s stress intervention in improving pregnancy period and are therefore recommended to be included in the sanitary system.