The effectiveness of group counseling based on mindfulness on pregnancy worries and stress in Nulligravida women: A randomized field trial

Context: 

Giving birth to one’s first child is associated with worries such as fear of fetal abnormalities, adapting to a new identity, and fear of childbirth, which can adversely affect the process of pregnancy, childbirth, and maternal and fetal/neonatal health.

 The present study was conducted to determine the effect of mindfulness‑based group counseling on pregnancy worries and stress in Nulligravida women.

Setting and Design:

 The present randomized field trial study was conducted on 114 Nulligravida women at 12–20 weeks of gestation covered by comprehensive health centers of Gorgan.

 The data were collected using a demographic form and the Farsi version of the 25‑item Pregnancy Worries and Stresses Questionnaire. In the intervention group (n = 53), 6 to 12 pregnant women participated in 8 weekly 120–150‑min sessions of mindfulness‑based group counseling. The mothers in the control group(n=61) received no intervention. At the end of the eighth session, the posttest was completed by both groups.

Statistical Analysis Used: 

Data were analyzed in SPSS‑16 at a confidence level of 95% using the parametric independent and paired t‑tests and nonparametric Chi‑squared, Mann‑Whitney, and Wilcoxon tests.

 The mean scores of pregnancy stress and worries before and after mindfulness‑based group counseling increased by 11 units from 23.46 ± 13.03 to 34.96 ± 15.88 in the intervention group (P < 0.001), but these scores showed no significant changes in the control group in the pretest and posttest (P > 0.05).

 The results showed that mindfulness‑based group counseling can abate the worries and stresses of Nulligravida women.