Emotional Support Given at Birth to Women Effect on Birth Duration, Perception and Fear

Introduction: Women begin to experience fear long before birth, and the reason for their fear may be related to their baby, themselves, their partner/relatives, and the healthcare professional. Fear can disrupt the natural process of birth, prolong the stages of birth and cause postpartum complications.The research was conducted to determine the effect of emotional support given during birth on the woman's birth duration, perception and fear.

Methods:The population of the randomized controlled experimental study consisted of nulliparous women who applied for normal spontaneous birth to the Birth Unit of a State Hospital in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey (40 experimental subjects, 40 control subjects).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: First Pregnancy
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Emotional support

Detailed Description

Introduction: Women begin to experience fear long before birth, and the reason for their fear may be related to their baby, themselves, their partner/relatives, and the healthcare professional. Fear can disrupt the natural process of birth, prolong the stages of birth and cause postpartum complications.Minimizing the fears experienced during birth can lead to more successful and comfortable births, a complication-free birth and less pain for both the woman and the baby.Therefore, emotional support from healthcare professionals is important.

Aim: The research was conducted to determine the effect of emotional support given during birth on the woman's birth duration, perception and fear.

Methods:The population of the randomized controlled experimental study consisted of nulliparous women who applied for normal spontaneous birth to the Birth Unit of a State Hospital in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey (40 experimental subjects, 40 control subjects).While emotional support practices and standard care were applied to women in the experimental group, only standard care practices were applied to women in the control group. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Wijma Birth Expectation/Experience Scale (W-DEQ) Version A, Wijma Birth Expectation/Experience Scale (W-DEQ) Version B, and Women's Perceptions of Supportive Care Provided at Birth Scale.The forms were applied twice to women applying for birth: during labor (first follow-up) and the second follow-up within 2-4 hours after birth. Number and percentage distribution, chi-square test, t test in independent groups, Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxon test, and Cohen d test were used in the evaluation of the data.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 80
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Sivas, Turkey, 58140
    • Sukran Ertekin Pinar

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Nulliparous,
• Between the ages of 18-35,
• Admitted to the delivery room for normal spontaneous vaginal birth,
• Do not have any physical health problems for themselves or their baby,
• Does not have a diagnosed mental illness,
• Not having a risky pregnancy,
• Able to speak and read Turkish,
• Cervical dilatation of 4 cm or more,
• Women who were willing to participate in the study were included in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

-Multiparity

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Standard of care Group; The control group did not receive any treatment.
Experimental: Emotional support group; Empathetic approach, listening to the feelings and thoughts, welcoming the woman's behavior and expressions, telling her that she is breathing correctly, etc.), not judging the woman, being honest, using a soft and calm tone of voice, taking the baby or asking her opinion, encouraging her to endure the birth process, touching the woman and making physical contact, allowing her to practice her beliefs, showing the baby to the mother as soon as it is born and placing it in her arms.	Behavioral: Emotional support; Emotional support helps the woman giving birth effectively, meets her emotional needs and expectations, ensures her comfort, improves birth outcomes, increases her self-esteem, ensures a positive birth experience and facilitates her transition into the role of motherhood.; Other Names: Control Group

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire version A (W-DEQ-A)	The W-DEQ-A is a validated, to determine the level of birth fear experienced by pregnant women.Answers in the scale are numbered from 0 to 5 and are in a six-point Likert type. The minimum score that can be obtained from the scale is 0, and the maximum score is 165.	Baseline
Women's Perceptions Scale on Supportive Care Provided at Birth	The scale, which consists of 33 items, has three sub-dimensions: "comforting, informing and disturbing behaviors". Answers in the scale are numbered from 1 to 4 and are in a four-point Likert type. The minimum score that can be obtained from the scale is 33, and the maximum score is 132.	Baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Wijma Birth Expectation/Experience Scale (W-DEQ) Version B	W-DEQ-B was developed to evaluate women's fear of birth during their own birth experiences in the postpartum period. Responses on the scale are numbered from 1 to 6 and are in a six-point Likert type. The minimum score that can be obtained from the scale is 33 and the maximum score is 198.	Within 2-4 hours after birth
Women's Perceptions Scale on Supportive Care Provided at Birth	The scale, which consists of 33 items, has three sub-dimensions: "comforting, informing and disturbing behaviors". Answers in the scale are numbered from 1 to 4 and are in a four-point Likert type. The minimum score that can be obtained from the scale is 33, and the maximum score is 132.	Within 2-4 hours after birth

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Cumhuriyet University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sukran Ertekin Pinar, Cumhuriyet University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 1, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 30, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): December 30, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 24, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 24, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): June 28, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 28, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 24, 2024
• Last Verified: June 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Birth; Emotional support; Fear of birth; Birth perception; Birth duration
• Other Study ID Numbers: TR SİVAS 05

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: There is not a plan to make IPD available.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No