Fear of childbirth, Digital storytelling, Nulliparous pregnant women, Mode of delivery, Tokophobia, Vaginal delivery, Cesarean section, Maternal anxiety. Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium
Conditions
Interventions
Intervention 1: Intervention group: Receives 8 digital storytelling podcasts over 4 weeks via a secure blog. Intervention 2: Control group: Receives routine prenatal care (podcasts provided after stud
Sponsors
Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
Female
Age
18 Years to 45 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Provision of written informed consent to participate in the study. Age between 18 and 45 years. Primiparity (first-time pregnancy). Singleton pregnancy. Low-risk pregnancy based on medical history and patient file documentation. A Fear of Childbirth (FOC) score greater than 65 on the W-DEQ-A questionnaire. Basic literacy or higher (ability to read and write). Gestational age between 28 and 32 weeks, confirmed by the first day of the last menstrual period or an ultrasound performed before 12 weeks of gestation. Ability to communicate and use a mobile phone, tablet, or computer to receive the interventions.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Presence of clinical depression or a psychological disorder, defined as a total score above 13 on the Beck Depression Inventory. A history of, or current use of, psychotropic medications or active psychiatric illnesses based on participant report or medical records. Concurrent participation in other clinical trials. Presence of maternal systemic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and other chronic conditions. The pregnancy becoming high-risk for medical reasons during the study period. Diagnosis of fetal abnormalities by ultrasound. A history of infertility. Pregnancy achieved through assisted reproductive technologies. Use of tobacco, alcohol, or illicit drugs. Presence of sensory impairments (visual or hearing). Previous experience with digital storytelling.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Change in the fear of childbirth score measured by the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire (W-DEQ-A) before and after the intervention. Timepoint: Baseline: Before the interventionPost-intervention: At the end of the 4-week interventionFollow-up: 4 weeks after completion of the interventionAt delivery: Recording the mode of delivery. Method of measurement: Fear of childbirth will be measured using the standard Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire – Version A (W-DEQ-A), a 33-item Likert-scale instrument. | — |
Countries
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Contacts
Public ContactSomaye Makvandi
Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences
Outcome results
None listed