COMPARISON OF THE SUPPORTIVE EFFECT OF A DOULA WITH A SELECTED TRAINED COMPANION DURING CHILDBIRTH ON THE FEAR AND SATISFACTION OF CHILDBIRTH IN TEENAGE MOTHERS

Considering the relationship between the mother's young age and the fear of childbirth, the need for emotional support during labor is greater in teenage mothers than in older ones. This study aimed to compare the supportive effect of a doula during childbirth with a selected trained companion on the fear and satisfaction of childbirth in teenage mothers.

This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 54 primigravid teenage mothers who referred to Taleghani educational-therapeutic center, affiliated to Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. The participants were randomly divided into two groups of doula support (intervention) and selected companion support (control) during the active phase of labor up to two hours after delivery. The data collection tools included demographic and midwifery characteristics, Wijma's fear of childbirth questionnaire, McKay's childbirth satisfaction scale, and mothers' childbirth records. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 21 software using chi-square and ANCOVA tests.

The mean score of fear of birth was 64.11±20.1 in the doula group and 73.26±20.5 in the selected companion group; the difference between two groups was no significant (MD: -9.15, CI 95%: -19.9 to 1.65, p=0.1). However, the level of satisfaction with childbirth in the intervention group (73±14.7) was significantly higher than the control group (63.4±6) (MD: 9.6, CI 95%: 3.6 -15.6, p =0. 003).

Considering the effectiveness of the presence of a doula on reducing the fear of childbirth and on increasing the satisfaction of teenage mothers, it is suggested that the support by a doula be considered as one of the interventions of the Labor Department in teenager mothers.