Journal article
Effects of a midwife psycho-education intervention to reduce childbirth fear on women's birth outcomes and postpartum psychological wellbeing
J Fenwick, J Toohill, J Gamble, DK Creedy, A Buist, E Turkstra, A Sneddon, PA Scuffham, EL Ryding
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth | Published : 2015
Abstract
Background: High levels of childbirth fear impact birth preparation, obstetric outcomes and emotional wellbeing for around one in five women living in developed countries. Higher rates of obstetric intervention and caesarean section (CS) are experienced in fearful women. The efficacy of interventions to reduce childbirth fear is unclear, with no previous randomised controlled trials reporting birth outcomes or postnatal psychological wellbeing following a midwife led intervention. Method: Between May 2012 and June 2013 women in their second trimester of pregnancy were recruited. Women with a fear score ≥ 66 on the Wijma Delivery Expectancy / Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ) were randomised t..
View full abstractGrants
Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
The study was funded by the National Health & Medical Research Council, NHMRC grant number APP1025099. We are grateful for statistical analysis support from Associate Professor Julie Pallant, the research midwives who recruited women to the study, midwives who provided the psycho-education, the research assistants who maintained contact with women and collected data. Importantly we thank the women who participated.