Evaluating a Group-Based Intervention Addressing Fear of Childbirth in Multiparous Pregnant Women: A Mixed Methods Feasibility Study.
Laura Sandström, Marja Kaunonen, Heini Huhtala and 1 others
PMID 40405826WHAT IT FOUND
A group intervention for women who had given birth before and feared childbirth was feasible and well accepted.
Fear scores fell, but without a control group and with usual maternity care also given, this cannot show the intervention caused the change.
Key findings
01Nineteen women consented to the MOTIVE group intervention, and 94.1% completed questionnaires from baseline to post-intervention.
02All 16 participants recommended the intervention to other multiparous women, and 14 said it helped alleviate fear.
03Median fear of childbirth scores were 65 at baseline, 44 before birth, and 11.8 after the intervention.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a single-arm feasibility study without a control group, so the observed changes cannot be separated from usual pregnancy and postpartum changes. Nineteen women consented, and the study was small, so it cannot show that MOTIVE reduces fear of childbirth. Participants also received standard and specialised care for fear of childbirth, with variation in support, so the contribution of MOTIVE alone is unclear. The fear of childbirth scale used was not validated in Finland. Recruitment at the ultrasound clinic fell short of the planned number screened. Attendance at the third session was below the progression target. Some participants completed questionnaires at home, which may have changed the setting and timing of responses.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. Funding was from Hämeen Rahasto.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the fall in fear scores as proof that MOTIVE works. This was a single-arm feasibility study without a control group, and participants also received standard and specialised maternity care, so the authors say the change cannot be attributed to the intervention alone.