Background: Fear of childbirth can affect the health of the mother and the baby, which can be associated with unfavorable consequences. This study was conducted to determine effects of an emotion regulation training based on the Gross model on the fear of childbirth in primigravida women.
Methods: This randomized field trial was conducted on 62 primigravida women with a gestational age of 28-32 weeks, who were referred to comprehensive healthcare centers in Gorgan (Iran) from April to November 2019. Subjects were selected using simple random sampling. The subjects were randomly divided into a control group (n=31) and an intervention group (n=29) based on their mean score of fear of childbirth at pretest. The Gross model-based emotion regulation training was held in 8 sessions of 120 minutes, twice a week, for women in the intervention group in three groups. The control group received routine training programs. Data were collected using the Persian version of the 14-item fear of childbirth questionnaire, at baseline and one month after the intervention. Statistical analysis of data was carried out in SPSS software (version 16) and at significance level of 0.05.
Results: The demographic characteristics of the subjects did not differ significantly between the two groups. After the training intervention, the mean score of fear of childbirth in the intervention group (26.55±5.44) was significantly lower than that in the control group (34.48±7.32) (P=0.0001).
Conclusion: Based on the results, we suggest providing the Gross model-based emotion regulation training in health care centers in order to reduce the fear of childbirth in primigravida women.