Childbirth Self Efficacy

This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effect of a mindfulness-based intervention on childbirth self-efficacy, fear of childbirth, and self-compassion among primiparous pregnant women. Eligible pregnant women will be randomly assigned to either a mindfulness intervention group or a control group receiving routine antenatal education and standard prenatal care. The intervention program will consist of eight sessions delivered over four weeks. Outcomes will be assessed before and after the intervention using validated measurement tools. The findings may contribute to the development of effective psychosocial interventions to improve maternal well-being during pregnancy.

This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effect of mindfulness practices integrated into childbirth preparation education on fear of childbirth, prenatal stress, and childbirth self-efficacy in pregnant women.Participants will be randomly assigned either to the childbirth education group with mindfulness practices or to the standard childbirth education/control group. Results will be evaluated using the prenatal self-assessment childbirth fear subscale, the perceived stress scale before childbirth, and the self-efficacy scale during labor before and after intervention.This study aims to provide evidence on whether mindfulness practices in childbirth preparation classes affect pregnant women's fear of childbirth, prenatal stress, and childbirth self-efficacy.

Pregnancy is a life event that requires biopsychosocial adaptation. Although pregnancy is often perceived as a positive and physiological process, women experience a wide range of fears of childbirth, from simple anxiety to severe phobic fear (tokophobia), during their pregnancy. It is thought that the feeling of experiencing pain often lies at the root of the fear of childbirth. However, fear of childbirth can be experienced for many different reasons depending on biological, psychological and sociocultural factors, personal characteristics and experiences. The prevalence of fear of childbirth in the world is 14%. In Turkey, the prevalence of fear of childbirth varies between 16% and 69%, and 21% of women experience fear of childbirth at a clinical level. In general, fear is a physiological reaction that is important for the safety of the individual, and it is thought that low-level fear of childbirth will prepare individuals for parenting. However, uncontrollable fear of childbirth can lead to physical, emotional and behavioural changes that negatively affect the woman's daily life, prolonged labour and childbirth complications. Most importantly, women who cannot cope with the fear of childbirth may perceive cesarean section as the only solution and turn to elective cesarean section. The total cesarean section rate in Turkey is 52%, which is much higher than the World Health Organization's acceptable cesarean section rate. Fear of childbirth has been accepted as an important public health problem that needs intervention both in the world and in our country, and research on fear of childbirth has accelerated, especially in the last twenty years.