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

authors:

avatar Asieh Baniaghil 1 , avatar Fatemeh Ebrahimi 1 , avatar Seyed Mojtab Aghili 2 , avatar Nasser Behnampour 3 , avatar Sedigheh Moghasemi 1 , *

Counseling and Reproductive Health Research Center, Department of Midwifery, Nursing and Midwifery faculty, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
Department of Psychology, Payame Noor University, Gorgan, Iran
Health Management and Social Development Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences: Vol.9, issue 4; 288-295
published online: December 14, 2022
article type: Research Article
received: January 09, 2022
revised: June 22, 2022
accepted: July 06, 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/jnms.jnms_6_22

how to cite: Baniaghil A, Ebrahimi F, Aghili S M, Behnampour N, Moghasemi S. The effectiveness of group counseling based on mindfulness on pregnancy worries and stress in Nulligravida women: A randomized field trial. J Nurs Midwifery Sci. 2022;9(4):e134535. https://doi.org/10.4103/jnms.jnms_6_22.

Abstract

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.
Aims: 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.
Materials and Methods: 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.
Results: 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).
Conclusion: The results showed that mindfulness‑based group counseling can abate the worries and stresses of Nulligravida women.

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