Effects of spouses’ involvement in pregnancy on fear of childbirth in nulliparous women

Background: Maternal request for caesarean section due to fear of normal vaginal delivery is one of the main reasons for the high rate of caesarean section. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the presence of spouse in preparation class of delivery on fear of parturition in the nulliparous women. Methods: This controlled randomized trial was conducted in 152 pregnant women nulliparous referred to delivery preparation class in Qazvin. We received informed consent from participants. The samples were randomly assigned to intervention (n=76) and control groups (n=76). Eight sessions of the childbirth preparation classes were held for the intervention and control groups with or without the spouse respectively. Data collection tools were demographic characteristics and childbirth attitude questionnaire. Statistical testes such as T-test, and repeated measure were used for analysis. Findings: The mean age of the mothers participating in the study was 25.85±4.42 years. The decrease in mean of fear scores in the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group (28.58±6.47 and 32.82±5.79, respectively) (P<0.001). A significant difference was also observed between two groups in the rate of selection of normal vaginal delivery (P<0.001). Conclusion: The results of the study showed that the presence of a spouse in preparation class of delivery reduces the amount of childbirth fear and is suggested as one of the methods of implementing pregnant women's education program.