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.

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.