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Effect of Haptonomy on Prenatal Attachment and Fear of Childbirth in Primiparous Couples

The Effect of Haptonomy Application for Primiparous Pregnant Women and Their Partners on Prenatal Attachment and Fear of Childbirth: A Randomized Controlled Study

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07263750
Enrollment
144
Registered
2025-12-04
Start date
2025-03-26
Completion date
2026-04-01
Last updated
2026-02-03

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Fear of Childbirth, Prenatal Attachment

Keywords

fear of childbirth, pregnant, father, prenatal attachment, haptonomia

Brief summary

This study was planned to evaluate the effect of haptonomy practice for primiparous pregnant women and their partners on prenatal attachment and fear of childbirth.

Detailed description

Aim: This study was designed to evaluate the effect of haptonomy practice for primiparous pregnant women and their partners on prenatal attachment and fear of childbirth. Methods: This randomized controlled experimental study will include primiparous pregnant women and their partners (36 couples in the experimental group and 36 couples in the control group) who apply to the childbirth education class of a public hospital in Turkey and are between 24-26 weeks of gestation. The experimental group will receive haptonomy education in the childbirth class. Afterwards, a video-based haptonomy program will be delivered via e-mail or WhatsApp. Couples will be asked to perform haptonomy exercises once a week for 40 minutes over five weeks. No intervention will be applied to the control group. Data will be collected before the intervention and at the end of the fifth week using the Personal Information Form, Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI), Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire Version A (W-DEQ A), Paternal-Fetal Attachment Scale (PFAS), and Fathers' Fear of Childbirth Scale (FFOC). Data analysis will include frequency and percentage distributions, chi-square test, t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, repeated measures analysis, two-way ANOVA, Friedman test, and Cohen's d test.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALHaptonomy

Since there are no studies in the literature evaluating the effect of planned video modelling haptonomy on prenatal bonding and fear of childbirth in expectant mothers and fathers, it is believed that the results obtained from this study will contribute significantly to the literature by guiding and shedding light on future studies.

Sponsors

Nigde Omer Halisdemir University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
19 Years to 35 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* • At least a primary school graduate * Between the 24th and 26th weeks of pregnancy * According to calculations made by ultrasound based on the last menstrual period or, for pregnant women who do not know their last menstrual period, between the 24th and 26th weeks of pregnancy * Primiparous * No history of abortion/curettage * Planned/desired pregnancy * Desired baby gender * Living with spouse * Attended pregnancy classes * Able to use technology such as computers and mobile phones to watch videos * No barriers to understanding questions and responding * No previous training on fear of childbirth or prenatal bonding * Not having previously received education on haptonomy or practised haptonomy * Not undergoing infertility treatment * Being between the ages of 19 and 35

Exclusion criteria

* • Be at least 26 weeks pregnant * Live separately from spouse * Have an unplanned/unwanted pregnancy * Not want the baby to be of a specific gender * Not use technology * Be a high-risk pregnancy * Have previously received training on fear of childbirth and prenatal bonding * Having previously received training in haptonomy and practised haptonomy * Deciding to discontinue haptonomy practice after the study began and/or giving birth prematurely before completing the practice sessions

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI)BaselineThe PAI is a validated, explain thoughts, feelings, and situations experienced by woman during pregnancy and to determine the level of attachment to infant in prenatal period. Each item is of a four-point Likert type, with a score between 1 and 4. A minimum score of 21 and a maximum score of 84 can be obtained from the scale. Increase in the score obtained by pregnant indicates that level of attachment also increases.
Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire version A (W-DEQ-A)BaselineThe W-DEQ-A is a validated,to determine the level of birth fear experienced by pregnant women.Answers in the scale are numbered from 0 to 5 and are in a six-point Likert type. The minimum score that can be obtained from the scale is 0, and the maximum score is 165.
Paternal-Fetal Attachment Scale (PFAS)BaselinePFAS is a validated scale used to determine the level of paternal-fetal attachment. The responses are rated on a four-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 4. The minimum possible total score is 23, and the maximum is 92.
Fathers' Fear of Childbirth Scale (FFOC)BaselineThe FFOC is a validated instrument used to determine fathers' level of fear related to childbirth. The responses are rated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5. The minimum possible total score is 17, and the maximum is 85.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI)Week 5The PAI is a validated, explain thoughts, feelings, and situations experienced by woman during pregnancy and to determine the level of attachment to infant in prenatal period. Each item is of a four-point Likert type, with a score between 1 and 4. A minimum score of 21 and a maximum score of 84 can be obtained from the scale. Increase in the score obtained by pregnant indicates that level of attachment also increases.
Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire version A (W-DEQ-A)Week 5The W-DEQ-A is a validated,to determine the level of birth fear experienced by pregnant women.Answers in the scale are numbered from 0 to 5 and are in a six-point Likert type. The minimum score that can be obtained from the scale is 0, and the maximum score is 165.
Paternal-Fetal Attachment Scale (PFAS)Week 5PFAS is a validated scale used to determine the level of paternal-fetal attachment. The responses are rated on a four-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 4. The minimum possible total score is 23, and the maximum is 92.
Fathers' Fear of Childbirth Scale (FFOC)Week 5The FFOC is a validated instrument used to determine fathers' level of fear related to childbirth. The responses are rated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5. The minimum possible total score is 17, and the maximum is 85.

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

Contacts

CONTACTNilüfer Tuğut, Prof. Dr.
nlfrtugut@gmail.com+0905327754828
CONTACTsibel dilmen, lectuer
dilmensibel51@gmail.com+905532628295
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORNilüfer Tugut, Prof. Dr.

Cumhuriyet University

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026