Prenatal Haptonomy-Based Support

Effects of Haptonomy-Based Support Approaches in the Prenatal Period on Prenatal Attachment and Perceived Partner Support - A Randomized Controlled Study

This study is a three-arm randomized controlled trial to be conducted among pregnant women attending the antenatal outpatient clinic of Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University Hospital who meet the inclusion criteria. Data will be collected between April 1, 2026, and April 30, 2027.

Eligible participants will be informed about the study objectives, procedures, potential benefits and risks, and voluntary participation principles. Written informed consent will be obtained prior to enrollment. Participant confidentiality will be ensured in accordance with data protection regulations, and unique identification codes will be assigned.

At baseline (T0), participants will complete the Personal Information Form, Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI), and Spousal Support Scale (SSS). Following baseline assessment, participants will be randomly allocated into one of three groups:

Partner-supported haptonomy group Mother-supported haptonomy group Midwife-supported haptonomy group The haptonomy-based intervention will be delivered once weekly for three consecutive weeks in a hospital-based setting. Each session will last approximately 30 minutes and will follow a standardized protocol including structured affective touch, body awareness facilitation, emotional observation, and structured session closure. All sessions will be conducted by a research assistant who completed the Prenatal Haptonomy Instructor Training (January 29-31, 2026). The principal investigator will supervise and monitor the scientific integrity of the study.

Outcome assessments will be conducted at three time points:

T0 (Baseline): Prior to intervention T1 (Post-session 1): 24-48 hours after the first haptonomy session T2 (Post-intervention): 24-48 hours after the third haptonomy session The Prenatal Attachment Inventory and Spousal Support Scale will be re-administered at T1 and T2. Data completeness will be checked after each assessment.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Haptonomy; Maternal-Fetal Attachment; Perceived Partner Support
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Prenatal Haptonomy-Based Support; Behavioral: Mother-Supported Haptonomy Group; Behavioral: Midwife-Supported Haptonomy Group

Detailed Description

This study is a three-arm randomized controlled trial to be conducted among pregnant women attending the antenatal outpatient clinic of Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University Hospital who meet the inclusion criteria. Data will be collected between April 1, 2026, and April 30, 2027. Participants will receive verbal and written information about the study, written informed consent will be obtained, and all data will be stored using coded identifiers in accordance with confidentiality principles.

At baseline (T0), participants will complete the Personal Information Form, Prenatal Attachment Inventory, and Spousal Support Scale. Participants will then be randomly assigned to one of three groups: partner-supported haptonomy, mother-supported haptonomy, or midwife-supported haptonomy. The haptonomy-based intervention will be delivered over three consecutive weeks, once per week, following a standardized protocol, with each session lasting approximately 30 minutes and conducted in a hospital setting. Interventions will be carried out by a research assistant trained in prenatal haptonomy and scientifically supervised by the principal investigator.

Haptonomy sessions will include structured affective touch, body awareness facilitation, emotional observation, and session closure, with no invasive procedures involved. Outcome assessments will be conducted at three time points: prior to the intervention (T0), 24-48 hours after the first session (T1), and 24-48 hours after the third session (T2). The Prenatal Attachment Inventory and Spousal Support Scale will be re-administered at T1 and T2. Collected data will be analyzed using statistical methods to evaluate the effects of haptonomy-based support approaches on prenatal attachment and perceived partner support.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 36
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Hilal Ozbek, Asist. Prof. Dr.; Phone Number: +905053873773; Email: hilal.ozbek@gop.edu.tr
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Simay Bartınlı, Master's Student; Phone Number: 05423105598

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant women aged 18-45 years
• Attending antenatal follow-up at Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University Hospital
• Gestational age between 20 and 32 weeks
• Ability to communicate in Turkish
• Willingness to participate and provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• High-risk pregnancy (e.g., preeclampsia, placenta previa, gestational diabetes requiring insulin)
• Diagnosed psychiatric disorder
• Multiple pregnancy
• Known fetal anomaly
• Participation in another interventional study

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Partner-Supported Haptonomy Group; Pregnant women receiving haptonomy-based prenatal support together with their partners once weekly for three consecutive weeks.	Behavioral: Prenatal Haptonomy-Based Support; A structured haptonomy-based prenatal support intervention delivered once weekly for three consecutive weeks. Each session lasts approximately 30 minutes and is conducted with the participation of the pregnant woman's partner. The protocol includes affective touch facilitated by the partner, body awareness facilitation, emotional observation, and structured session closure. The intervention is conducted in a hospital setting.
Experimental: Mother-Supported Haptonomy Group; Pregnant women receiving haptonomy-based prenatal support together with their mothers once weekly for three consecutive weeks.	Behavioral: Mother-Supported Haptonomy Group; A structured haptonomy-based prenatal support intervention delivered once weekly for three consecutive weeks. Each session lasts approximately 30 minutes and is conducted with the participation of the pregnant woman's mother. The protocol includes affective touch facilitated by the mother, body awareness facilitation, emotional observation, and structured session closure. The intervention is conducted in a hospital setting.
Experimental: Midwife-Supported Haptonomy Group; Pregnant women receiving haptonomy-based prenatal support delivered by a trained midwife once weekly for three consecutive weeks.	Behavioral: Midwife-Supported Haptonomy Group; A structured haptonomy-based prenatal support intervention delivered once weekly for three consecutive weeks. Each session lasts approximately 30 minutes and is conducted by a trained midwife. The protocol includes affective touch provided by the midwife, body awareness facilitation, emotional observation, and structured session closure. The intervention is conducted in a hospital setting.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Prenatal Attachment	Change from baseline in prenatal attachment as measured by the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI). The Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI), developed by Mary Muller (1993), consists of 21 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (1 = Almost Never, 4 = Almost Always). Total scores range from 21 to 84. Higher scores indicate stronger prenatal attachment. There are no reverse-scored items. The scale is unidimensional and evaluated using total score.	Baseline (T0), 24-48 hours after the first haptonomy session (T1), and 24-48 hours after the third haptonomy session (T2)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Perceived Partner Support	Change from baseline in perceived partner support as measured by the Spouse Support Scale (SSS). The Spouse Support Scale (SSS), developed by Yıldırım (2005), consists of 13 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Not appropriate at all, 5 = Completely appropriate). Total scores range from 13 to 65. Higher total scores indicate higher perceived partner support. There are no reverse-scored items. The scale is evaluated using the total score.	Baseline (T0), 24-48 hours after the first haptonomy session (T1), and 24-48 hours after the third haptonomy session (T2)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Hilal Özbek
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Hilal Ozbek, Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): April 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 30, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 11, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 11, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): February 18, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 2, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 27, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pregnancy; Randomized Controlled Trial; Psychosocial Intervention; Partner Support; Haptonomy; Prenatal Attachment; Prenatal Haptonomy; Maternal-Fetal Attachment; Partner Support; Pregnancy
• Other Study ID Numbers: TR TOKAT03

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data will not be shared due to participant confidentiality and institutional data protection policies. Only aggregate study results will be published.

Drug and device information, study documents

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