Emotional Freedom Techniques and Virtual Reality Application for Fear of Childbirth
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: emotional freedom techniques, emotional freedom techniques and virtual reality, control group/ none intervention.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Fear of Childbirth, Mental Well-being, Attachment, Emotional Freedom Technique. Basic parameters: No limits · Female.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Turkey (Türkiye)
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
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
Overview
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.
Interventions
- Behavioral emotional freedom techniques
emotional freedom techniques - Behavioral emotional freedom techniques and virtual reality
emotional freedom techniques and virtual reality - Behavioral control group/ none intervention
None intervention
Primary outcome measures
- Wijma Birth Anticipation/Fear Scale - Version A [Time frame: 32-38 weeks of gestation]
- Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale - WEMWBS [Time frame: 32-38 weeks of gestation]
- Prenatal Mother-Infant Attachment Prenatal Mother-Infant Attachment Prenatal Mother-Infant Attachment [Time frame: 32-38 weeks of gestation]
- Subjective Unit Experience Scale [Time frame: 32-38 weeks of gestation]
Secondary outcome measures (1)
- Demographic Characteristics of Participants [Time frame: 32-38 weeks of gestation]
Eligibility criteria
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
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
Study locations
Turkey (Türkiye) · 1 center
- Malatya Training and Research Hospital — Malatya
Publications
- Hajesmaeel-Gohari S, Sarpourian F, Shafiei E. Virtual reality applications to assist pregnant women: a scoping review. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2021 Mar 25;21(1):249. doi: 10.1186/s12884-021-03725-5. PMID 33765969
- Koo CH, Park JW, Ryu JH, Han SH. The Effect of Virtual Reality on Preoperative Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. J Clin Med. 2020 Sep 29;9(10):3151. doi: 10.3390/jcm9103151. PMID 33003411
- Freitas JRS, Velosa VHS, Abreu LTN, Jardim RL, Santos JAV, Peres B, Campos PF. Virtual Reality Exposure Treatment in Phobias: a Systematic Review. Psychiatr Q. 2021 Dec;92(4):1685-1710. doi: 10.1007/s11126-021-09935-6. Epub 2021 Jun 26. PMID 34173160
- Guven Santur S, Ozsahin Z. The Effects of Emotional Freedom Techniques Implemented During Early Pregnancy on Nausea-Vomiting Severity and Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Integr Complement Med. 2024 Sep;30(9):858-868. doi: 10.1089/jicm.2023.0586. Epub 2024 Mar 27. PMID 38531058
- Maples-Keller JL, Yasinski C, Manjin N, Rothbaum BO. Virtual Reality-Enhanced Extinction of Phobias and Post-Traumatic Stress. Neurotherapeutics. 2017 Jul;14(3):554-563. doi: 10.1007/s13311-017-0534-y. PMID 28512692
- Bilgic G, Citak Bilgin N. Relationship Between Fear of Childbirth and Psychological and Spiritual Well-Being in Pregnant Women. J Relig Health. 2021 Feb;60(1):295-310. doi: 10.1007/s10943-020-01087-4. Epub 2020 Sep 19. PMID 32949330
- Aguilera-Martin A, Galvez-Lara M, Blanco-Ruiz M, Garcia-Torres F. Psychological, educational, and alternative interventions for reducing fear of childbirth in pregnant women: A systematic review. J Clin Psychol. 2021 Mar;77(3):525-555. doi: 10.1002/jclp.23071. Epub 2020 Oct 20. PMID 33078851
- Anderson CA, Gill M. Childbirth related fears and psychological birth trauma in younger and older age adolescents. Appl Nurs Res. 2014 Nov;27(4):242-8. doi: 10.1016/j.apnr.2014.02.008. Epub 2014 Feb 27. PMID 24726421
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06813547 · Institute of Health Sciences