Introduction: Fear of childbirth is a problematic mental health issue during pregnancy. But, effective interventions to reduce this problem are not well understood.
Objectives: To examine effective interventions for reducing fear of childbirth.
Material And Methods: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Embase and PsycINFO were searched since inception till September 2017 without any restriction. Randomised controlled trials and quasi-randomised controlled trials comparing interventions for treatment of fear of childbirth were included. The standardized mean differences were pooled using random and fixed effect models. The heterogeneity was determined using the Cochran's test and I index and was further explored in meta-regression model and subgroup analyses.
Results: Ten studies inclusive of 3984 participants were included in the meta-analysis (2 quasi-randomized and 8 randomized clinical trials). Eight studies investigated education and two studies investigated hypnosis-based intervention. The pooled standardized mean differences of fear for the education intervention and hypnosis group in comparison with control group were -0.46 (95% CI -0.73 to -0.19) and -0.22 (95% CI -0.34 to -0.10), respectively.
Conclusions: Both types of interventions were effective in reducing fear of childbirth; however our pooled results revealed that educational interventions may reduce fear with double the effect of hypnosis. Further large scale randomized clinical trials and individual patient data meta-analysis are warranted for assessing the association.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2017.10.007 | DOI Listing |
Front Public Health
January 2025
Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Fear of childbirth (FOC) or tokophobia adversely affects women during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum. Childbirth fear may differ across regions and cultures. We aimed to identify factors influencing the fear of childbirth among the Asian population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMidwifery
January 2025
School of Nursing and Midwifery, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia; Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia.
Background: Childbirth is often characterised as a time of joy. However, some women have a traumatic birth experience, resulting in ongoing psychological symptoms of distress. This can affect women's mental and physical health in subsequent pregnancies; however, a woman-centred approach has the potential to heal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReprod Health
January 2025
Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Background: Mirroring other developed countries globally, the birth rate has decreased in Finland in recent years. The effects of a fear of childbirth (FOC) and psychiatric disorders on the likelihood of having more than one child remain relatively unstudied. This study aims to assess the influence of FOC, psychiatric disorders, and the mode of first delivery on the likelihood of the second birth among primiparous women.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Pregnancy Childbirth
January 2025
Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Introduction: Male engagement in HIV testing during pregnancy significantly contributes towards the prevention of maternal seroconversion and paediatric HIV acquisition. Despite this, men especially the male partners of pregnant women have been consistently missing in the HIV prevention cascade. The factors accounting for sub-optimal levels in male engagement intersect but reasons for this are poorly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Med Philipp
December 2024
Research Center for Culture and Social Issues, Samar State University, Catbalogan City, Samar, Philippines.
Objectives: This study sought to investigate citizens' awareness, availment, satisfaction, and perceived need for action with health services offered by a rural municipality in Samar, Philippines.
Methods: This study utilized an explanatory-sequential research design, involving 150 participants selected through the Kish Grid Method via a multi-stage sampling approach within the community. The Citizen Satisfaction Index System was employed to assess the levels of awareness, utilization, and satisfaction with health services in the municipality.
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