The effect of interventions in alleviating fear of childbirth in pregnant women: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The Fear of Childbirth (FOC) is regarded as a general problem, which affects women's health and well-being, justifying demanding caesarean section. Several primary studies have been performed in relation to the interventions performed to reduce the fear of childbirth, which show contradictions between the results of these studies. OBJECTIVE: This review aims to provide a comprehensive review of the different types of interventions used to reduce the fear of childbirth in pregnant mothers. METHODS: In this study, systematic review of study information related to the effect of different therapies on reducing the fear of childbirth using subject-related keywords and validated with MeSH in SID, MagIran, IranMedex, IranDoc, Embase, ProQuest, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science (ISI) databases and Google Scholar Search Engine were extracted without any time limit until February 2021. RESULTS: After removing duplicates and irrelevant works from among the 5396 articles found, 63 articles remained in the study. The participants in these 63 articles were 5415 cases and 5770 controls. In addition, three studies were on epidural anesthesia, 33 on the effects of psychotherapy, 19 on the effects of education, and eight on the influence of other interventions on alleviating FOC. As shown by the results, psychotherapy intervention and education decreased FOC significantly. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, to prevent the fear of childbirth, pregnancy training and prenatal preparation courses are recommended to empower pregnant women. It also seems beneficial to use psychotherapy approaches for women who are afraid of childbirth.

Investigating the Relationship between Self-Compassion and Body Image with Postpartum Depression in Women Referring to Health Centres in Iran.

Background: Depression is the most important postpartum mental disorder that can lead to irreversible damage to family health if not addressed, including inability to provide maternal care, impaired mother-child relationship, impaired growth, and development of the child, to marital problems, and sometimes the risk of suicide and infant death. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-compassion and body image with postpartum depression. Material and Method: In this study, 150 pregnant women in the third trimester and 6 weeks postpartum completed the Short Form Self-Compassion Questionnaire (SCS-SF), Multidimensional Self-Body Relationships (MBSRQ), and Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Inventory (EPDS). Depending on the type of study, descriptive statistics such as mean, median, and standard deviation were calculated for quantitative, frequency, and relative frequency variables. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to evaluate the normality of the distribution of scores in each questionnaire. Data were analyzed using parametric proportional statistical tests (paired t-test, Pearson correlation, and linear regression) at the level of significance less than 0.05. Results: Based on the findings, the relationship between self-compassion and postpartum depression was not significant. Self-kindness had a significant positive relationship, and self-judgement had a significant negative relationship with depression (p < 0.01). Body image had a significant predictive effect on postpartum depression (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Negative body image as a risk factor for postpartum depression should be considered by healthcare providers and used in the prevention and treatment of postpartum depression.

Qualitative Exploration of the Needs of Pregnant Women to Manage the Fear of Childbirth.

Background: Some women experience the Fear of Childbirth (FOC) during pregnancy, labor, and birth which can have consequences for their health and well-being. To provide the right conditions for having a positive experience of childbirth, the needs of pregnant women must be correctly recognized. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the needs of women in managing the FOC with a qualitative design. Materials and Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis from January to November 2021. To this aim, 15 pregnant women, 21 healthcare providers, and four maternal health policymakers were purposefully selected from Kermanshah health centers, with maximum diversity. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Data accuracy was guaranteed using Lincoln and Guba criteria. The MAXQDA software was used for data analysis. Results: From the analysis of the data obtained from the interviews, three main categories emerged concerning the needs of mothers to properly manage the FOC: "need to provide awareness and empowerment of mother and family," and "the need to pay attention to the mental health of pregnant women," and "supporting needs (seeking support)." Conclusions: Identifying and paying attention to woman's needs in the areas of education, mental health, and support can help them manage crisis-ridden situations, including the FOC. In response to the needs of mothers to empower them in managing the FOC, it is recommended to formulate special guidelines in this field.