The Effect of an educational Intervention on Anxiety of Pregnant Women: A Quasi-Experimental Study.
Sajad Pouryousef, Marzieh Kargar Jahromi, Sedigheh Yeganeh and 3 others
PMID 36264693WHAT IT FOUND
Group prenatal classes did not clearly reduce total pregnancy anxiety compared with routine care after 6 weeks, although scores fell within the class group and one fear dimension differed.
Key findings
01After the intervention, total pregnancy anxiety scores did not differ significantly between the group training and routine care groups.
02Within the intervention group, paired t-test showed significant reductions in all anxiety dimensions except self-centered fears.
03The only post-intervention dimension that differed significantly between groups was fear of giving birth to a physically or mentally disabled child.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was quasi-experimental: offices were randomly divided, but individual women were not randomly assigned, so baseline differences could affect the result. The intervention group had a significantly higher mean BMI at baseline. Only low-risk pregnant women under 35 in the first or second trimester were included, so results may not apply to older or high-risk pregnancies. Anxiety was self-reported with the PRAQ-17, and only 8.1% of the sample was identified as clearly anxious before the intervention. Follow-up was 6 weeks after the end of the classes, so long-term effects were not assessed. Four women from each group were excluded after selection, and because both groups received routine care, within-group improvement cannot be attributed to the classes alone.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict-of-interest declaration is reported in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the group classes reduced total pregnancy anxiety compared with routine care. The between-group difference in total anxiety was not significant, even though anxiety scores fell within the intervention group.