Open AccessA Shift Toward Childbearing In One-Child Families Through a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Author(s) -
Mojgan Malekpoorafshar,
Parvin Salehinejad,
Fatemeh Pouya,
Noshiravan Khezri Moghadam,
Armita Shahesmaeili
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of family and reproductive health./journal of family and reproductive health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1735-8949
pISSN - 1735-9392
DOI - 10.18502/jfrh.v15i1.6070
Subject(s) - medicine , mindfulness based stress reduction , anxiety , mindfulness , pregnancy , childbirth , randomized controlled trial , fertility , intervention (counseling) , population , stress reduction , clinical psychology , psychiatry , environmental health , surgery , biology , genetics
Objective: Fertility patterns are a key to the estimation of future population size, but they are restricted by serious indecision. One-child families are one of these patterns that is caused by a set of factors and one of these factors is the fear of re-pregnancy. In this regard, this study aimed to use a mindfulnessbased stress reduction (MBSR) program to reduce the fear of women who have been experiencing anxiety after their first pregnancy and delivery.
Materials and methods: This interventional study was conducted on 67 one-child women, who at least 6 years have been passed since the birth of their child and according to the short form of the Pregnancy Related Anxiety Questionnaire (PRAQ-17), have been experienced anxiety. These women were randomly divided into control and intervention groups. For the intervention group, the MBSR program was conducted in 8 sessions, once every week, each session lasting 2.5 hours. At the end of the program, a second PRAQ-17 was completed by both groups.
Results: The findings showed that the MBSR approach in the intervention group significantly decreased the anxiety score in total (p=0.001) and individually in all subcategories.
Conclusion: The MBSR approach can reduce the anxiety of one-child women who have experienced anxiety after their pregnancy and childbirth. Thus, using this method in helping women with pregnancyrelated anxiety is recommended to increase the birth rate.