"Educational Intervention for Tokophobia in Pregnant Women" (TOKO-EDU)

April 9, 2026 updated by: Delta University for Science and Technology

"Effectiveness of Educational Sessions in Reducing Tokophobia and Improving Quality of Life Among Pregnant Women: A Quasi-Experimental Study"

This quasi-experimental study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of structured educational sessions on tokophobia among pregnant women. Tokophobia, defined as an intense fear of pregnancy and childbirth, can negatively affect maternal psychological well-being, coping abilities, and overall quality of life.

A purposive sample of 50 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at Soad Kafafi Hospital, October City, Egypt, participated in the study. Participants received a structured educational intervention consisting of five sessions addressing knowledge about tokophobia, psychological coping strategies, and lifestyle modifications to enhance well-being during pregnancy.

Data were collected before and after the intervention using validated tools, including the Tokophobia Awareness Questionnaire, Tokophobia Assessment Scale, Jalowiec Coping Scale, and WHOQOL-BREF.

The study evaluates changes in awareness levels, severity of tokophobia, coping strategies, and quality of life following the intervention. The findings are expected to provide evidence on the role of educational interventions in reducing fear of childbirth and improving maternal psychological outcomes.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Tokophobia is a severe and persistent fear of pregnancy and childbirth that can negatively affect maternal mental health, coping abilities, and overall quality of life. It is associated with increased anxiety, avoidance behaviors, and preference for unnecessary medical interventions such as cesarean delivery. Lack of knowledge and inadequate psychological support during pregnancy may exacerbate this condition.

Educational interventions have been identified as effective strategies to enhance awareness, reduce fear, and improve psychological outcomes among pregnant women. Providing structured information and coping strategies may empower women, increase their sense of control, and promote positive pregnancy experiences.

This study adopts a quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design to evaluate the effectiveness of structured educational sessions on tokophobia among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at Soad Kafafi Hospital, October City, Egypt. A purposive sample of 50 pregnant women aged 18 years and above is included in the study.

The intervention consists of five structured educational sessions, including three theoretical sessions and two practical sessions. The sessions focus on increasing awareness about tokophobia, identifying its causes and symptoms, and introducing psychological coping strategies such as relaxation techniques and stress management. Additionally, lifestyle modifications and supportive practices to enhance maternal well-being are addressed.

Data are collected before and after the intervention using validated tools, including the Tokophobia Awareness Questionnaire, Tokophobia Assessment Scale (TAS), Jalowiec Coping Scale (JCS), and WHOQOL-BREF.

The primary objective is to assess the effectiveness of the educational intervention in improving awareness and reducing tokophobia severity. Secondary outcomes include improvement in coping strategies and enhancement of quality of life.

The findings of this study may contribute to improving antenatal care practices by integrating structured educational programs targeting tokophobia, thereby supporting maternal psychological well-being and promoting positive pregnancy outcomes.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

50

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 Locations

  • Egypt
    • Giza Governorate
      • Cairo, Giza Governorate, Egypt, 12566
        • Soad Kafafi Hospital

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Pregnant women attending antenatal clinics Age 18 years and above Willing to participate and provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

Pregnant women with diagnosed acute psychological disorders Pregnant women who are unable to participate in educational sessions Refusal to participate in the study

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: Other
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Educational Intervention Group
Pregnant women who received a structured educational intervention consisting of five sessions (three theoretical and two practical) focusing on increasing awareness of tokophobia, reducing fear of childbirth, and improving coping strategies and psychological well-being.
Behavioral: Educational Sessions on Tokophobia
A structured educational program designed to provide information about tokophobia, its causes, symptoms, and management, along with training on psychological coping strategies and supportive techniques to enhance maternal well-being.
Other Names:
  • Tokophobia Education Program

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Tokophobia Severity Score Measured by Tokophobia Assessment Scale (TAS)
Time Frame: Baseline and immediately after completion of the intervention (approximately 2.5 months)
Change in tokophobia severity scores measured using the Tokophobia Assessment Scale (TAS). The total score ranges from [MIN] to [MAX], with higher scores indicating greater severity of fear of childbirth.
Baseline and immediately after completion of the intervention (approximately 2.5 months)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Tokophobia Awareness Score Measured by Tokophobia Awareness Questionnaire
Time Frame: Baseline and immediately after intervention
Change in awareness scores measured using the Tokophobia Awareness Questionnaire. The total score ranges from [ zero] to [23], with higher scores indicating better awareness of tokophobia.
Baseline and immediately after intervention
Change in Coping Strategies Score Measured by Jalowiec Coping Scale (JCS)
Time Frame: Baseline and immediately after intervention
Change in coping strategies measured using the Jalowiec Coping Scale (JCS). The total score ranges from [MIN] to [MAX], with higher scores indicating more effective coping strategies.
Baseline and immediately after intervention
Change in Quality of Life Score Measured by WHOQOL-BREF
Time Frame: Baseline and immediately after completion of the educational sessions
Change in quality of life measured using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. The total score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better quality of life.
Baseline and immediately after completion of the educational sessions

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Delta University for Science and Technology

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Basma W Elrefay, phd, Delta University for Science and Technology, Egypt

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)

February 20, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 10, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

May 15, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 4, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 4, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

April 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 14, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 9, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • DU-TOKO-2025-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be made publicly available due to privacy, confidentiality, and ethical restrictions related to the study 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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