Emotional Freedom Techniques and Virtual Reality Application for Fear of Childbirth

Официальное название

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

Обзор

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.

Вмешательства

• Поведенческое emotional freedom techniques
  emotional freedom techniques
• Поведенческое emotional freedom techniques and virtual reality
  emotional freedom techniques and virtual reality
• Поведенческое control group/ none intervention
  None intervention

Первичные конечные точки

• Wijma Birth Anticipation/Fear Scale - Version A [Срок оценки: 32-38 weeks of gestation]
• Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale - WEMWBS [Срок оценки: 32-38 weeks of gestation]
• Prenatal Mother-Infant Attachment Prenatal Mother-Infant Attachment Prenatal Mother-Infant Attachment [Срок оценки: 32-38 weeks of gestation]
• Subjective Unit Experience Scale [Срок оценки: 32-38 weeks of gestation]

Вторичные конечные точки (1)

• Demographic Characteristics of Participants [Срок оценки: 32-38 weeks of gestation]

Критерии участия

Критерии включения

• 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

Критерии исключения

• Not wanting to continue the research
• Early labour

Критерии приведены из реестра в оригинале (на английском). Окончательную оценку соответствия проводит исследовательский центр.

Здоровые добровольцы: Да

Дизайн исследования

Распределение

Рандомизированное

Модель

Параллельные группы

Маскирование

Простое слепое

Основная цель

Профилактика

Центры проведения

Turkey (Türkiye) · 1 центр

• Malatya Training and Research Hospital — Malatya

Публикации

• 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

Идентификаторы

NCT: NCT06813547 · Institute of Health Sciences

Первоисточники (государственные реестры)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (NIH, США)

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