Emotional Freedom Techniques and Virtual Reality Application for Fear of Childbirth

May 24, 2025 updated by: Sinem GUVEN Santur, Inonu University

The Effect of Emotional Freedom Techniques and Virtual Reality Application Applied to Reduce the Fear of Childbirth on Attachment and Mental Well-being in Primiparous Pregnant Women

Fear of labour in primiparous pregnant women is an important factor that directly affects the mother-infant relationship and the mental health of the mother. In this process, it is common for expectant mothers to experience feelings of uncertainty and anxiety about labour. Such intense fear of birth may weaken maternal attachment and make it difficult for her to establish a healthy emotional relationship with her baby. In addition, this fear may negatively affect the mother's mental well-being and increase the risk of depression and anxiety.

In this context, emotional liberation techniques (EFT) and virtual reality (VR) applications stand out as effective nonpharmacological methods used to reduce fear of childbirth in primiparous pregnant women. EFT is a technique that provides relaxation by touching the energy meridians that help the person to regulate negative emotions and cope with stress. SG, on the other hand, allows expectant mothers to interact with simulations similar to the real world in a virtual environment, providing therapeutic benefits through distraction, stress reduction and cognitive restructuring, allowing them to manage their fears about birth and enter the process more prepared. The use of SLT and SG, especially for primiparous pregnant women, can alleviate these women's anxiety about childbirth and enable them to approach the process in a safer and more conscious manner. Thus, it may also help to reduce the negative effects on the mother's postnatal attachment and mental health.

This study aims to examine the effects of SLT and SG practices on fear of childbirth, attachment and mental well-being, and to reveal the effects of these two methods on primiparous pregnant women. In this context, this study will fill the gap in the literature by providing a new perspective in clinical practice and antenatal education programmes and will make important contributions to increase antenatal attachment and mental well-being in primiparous pregnancy.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

30

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • No verbal communication problems
  • Primiparous pregnancy
  • 32/0-38/0 weeks of gestation
  • Having a single, viable foetus
  • No psychiatric disorder
  • No obstetric complications
  • Absence of scar tissue or an obstacle to touch at the points of EFT application

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Not wanting to continue the research
  • Early labour

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Emotional freedom techniques group
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) application group; Participants will receive EFT intervention once a week for four weeks, with pre- and post-assessment using scales and subjective experience units.
Behavioral: emotional freedom techniques
emotional freedom techniques
Experimental: Emotional freedom techniques + virtual reality group
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and Virtual Reality (VR) application group; Participants will receive both EFT and VR interventions once a week for four weeks, with pre- and post-assessment using scales and subjective experience units.
Behavioral: emotional freedom techniques and virtual reality
emotional freedom techniques and virtual reality
Other: Control group
Control group; Participants will receive standard antenatal care with pre- and post-assessment using scales and subjective experience units, but no EFT or VR intervention.
Behavioral: control group/ none intervention
None intervention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Wijma Birth Anticipation/Fear Scale - Version A
Time Frame: 32-38 weeks of gestation
The level of fear of labour will be assessed using a validated instrument, the Wijma Birth Anticipation/Fear Scale (Version A). Scores range from 0 to 165, with higher scores indicating higher levels of fear of labour.
32-38 weeks of gestation
Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale - WEMWBS
Time Frame: 32-38 weeks of gestation
Mental well-being will be measured using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). Scores range from 14 to 70, with higher scores indicating higher mental well-being
32-38 weeks of gestation
Prenatal Mother-Infant Attachment Prenatal Mother-Infant Attachment Prenatal Mother-Infant Attachment
Time Frame: 32-38 weeks of gestation
Maternal attachment to the unborn baby will be evaluated using the Prenatal Maternal Attachment Scale. Scores range from 21 to 84, with higher scores indicating stronger maternal attachment.
32-38 weeks of gestation
Subjective Unit Experience Scale
Time Frame: 32-38 weeks of gestation
The scale, which was developed by Hartmann is utilised in EFT applications and enables the individual to categorise their own emotions by evaluating them with numbers. The SUE, a specific EFT instrument, is utilised to ascertain the intensity (degree) of the emotion experienced at the commencement and conclusion of the session. The scale is scored between -10 and +10, with negative numbers denoting negative/unpleasant experiences and positive numbers denoting positive/pleasant experiences.
32-38 weeks of gestation

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Demographic Characteristics of Participants
Time Frame: 32-38 weeks of gestation

Age, education level, marital status, socioeconomic status, gestational week, and previous pregnancy history will be collected using a demographic information form.

Group Comparability After Randomization Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics will be analyzed to ensure balance across groups after randomization.

Subgroup Analysis Based on Age and Education Level Intervention effects will be examined across subgroups categorized by age and education level.

Duration of Fear of Childbirth The duration of childbirth fear (in weeks or months) will be self-reported by participants.

Previous Psychological Support History Participants' history of psychological support will be recorded via self-reported questionnaires.
32-38 weeks of gestation

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Inonu University

Investigators

  • Study Director: Zeliha Özşahin, Dr, Inonu University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 31, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

May 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 12, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 3, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

February 7, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 30, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 24, 2025

Last Verified

May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Institute of Health Sciences

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Even if the participants voluntarily agree to participate in the research in the country we live in, I cannot make this sharing because it is not legal to share the individual data of the participants.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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