Effect of Mandala Art Therapy on Childbirth Fear and Anxiety in Expectant Fathers

July 17, 2026 updated by: Melike TAN ÇELİK, Inonu University

The Effect of Mandala Art Therapy on Fear and Anxiety of Childbirth in Expectant Fathers Waiting Outside the Delivery Room: A Randomized Controlled Study

This randomized controlled trial is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of mandala art therapy in reducing childbirth fear and state anxiety among fathers whose partners are nulliparous pregnant women and who are waiting in the obstetric ward waiting area during labor. Eligible participants will be randomly allocated to either the intervention or the control group. Fathers assigned to the intervention group will participate in a single 20-25-minute mandala art therapy session, whereas those in the control group will receive standard care without any additional intervention. Childbirth fear and state anxiety will be assessed using the Fathers' Birth Fear Scale and the State subscale of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, respectively, at baseline and immediately following the intervention. The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of mandala art therapy as a non-pharmacological intervention for alleviating childbirth-related fear and anxiety among expectant fathers.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study is a randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of mandala art therapy in reducing childbirth fear and state anxiety among expectant fathers whose partners are nulliparous pregnant women and who are waiting in the obstetric ward waiting area during labor. Eligible participants will be randomly allocated to either the intervention or the control group using a simple randomization procedure. Participants assigned to the intervention group will receive a single, individually administered mandala art therapy session lasting approximately 20-25 minutes. During the session, participants will be encouraged to select their preferred mandala patterns and colors, thereby facilitating individual expression and engagement in the therapeutic process. Participants in the control group will receive routine care without any additional intervention and will undergo the same assessment procedures as the intervention group. Data will be collected at two time points: immediately before the intervention (baseline) and immediately after the intervention. The primary outcome of the study is childbirth fear, while the secondary outcome is state anxiety.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

148

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 Contact Backup

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

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Fathers whose partners are nulliparous pregnant women Fathers aged 18 years and older Fathers whose partners are admitted for planned vaginal delivery Fathers present in the obstetric waiting area during the study period Fathers who are able to read and understand Turkish Fathers who voluntarily agree to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of obstetric emergency or unplanned change in delivery method (e.g., emergency cesarean section) History of diagnosed psychiatric disorders requiring treatment (e.g., anxiety disorders) Inability to understand or complete study questionnaires Absence from the waiting area during the intervention period

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Mandala Art Therapy Group
Participants in this group will receive mandala art therapy. The intervention consists of a 20-25 minute individual mandala coloring activity conducted in the obstetric waiting area. Participants will be provided with a mandala coloring book and colored pencils and will freely choose patterns and colors.
Behavioral: Mandala Art Therapy
Participants will engage in a mandala coloring activity lasting approximately 20-25 minutes. The intervention is designed as a relaxation-based expressive art therapy. Participants will select mandala patterns and colors freely. No guidance or psychological counseling is provided during the activity.
No Intervention: Control Group
Participants in this group will receive no intervention. They will complete the same pre-test and post-test assessments as the intervention group at the same time points.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Childbirth Fear
Time Frame: Baseline and immediately after intervention (approximately 30-45 minutes post-intervention)
Childbirth fear will be assessed using the Fathers' Birth Fear Scale (BDKÖ). The scale measures fathers' fear related to childbirth process and hospital-related concerns. Higher scores indicate higher levels of childbirth fear. Assessments will be performed before and after the mandala art therapy intervention.
Baseline and immediately after intervention (approximately 30-45 minutes post-intervention)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Inonu University

Collaborators

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey

Investigators

  • Study Director: Melike Tan, midwife, İnönü University Faculty of Health Sciences
  • Study Director: Esra GÜNEY, Associate Professor, İnönü University Faculty of Health Sciences
  • Principal Investigator: Zeynep Bal, PhD, Turgut Özal University Faculty of Health Sciences

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

Helpful Links

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 (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

November 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 13, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 14, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 20, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 17, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 10843

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

No, individual participant data will not be shared.

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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