A Shift Toward Childbearing in One-Child Families Through a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Main Authors: Mojgan Malekpoorafshar, Parvin Salehinejad, Fatemeh Pouya, Noshiravan Khezri Moghadam, Armita Shahesmaeili
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tehran University of Medical Sciences 2021-04-01
• Series: Journal of Family and Reproductive Health
• Subjects: Reproductive Behavior; Fear; Pregnancy; Anxiety; Mindfulness
• Online Access: https://jfrh.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jfrh/article/view/1551
• ISSN: 1735-8949; 1735-9392

Objective: Fertility patterns are a key to the estimation of future population size, but they are restricted by serious indecision. One-child families are one of these patterns that is caused by a set of factors and one of these factors is the fear of re-pregnancy. In this regard, this study aimed to use a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program to reduce the fear of women who have been experiencing anxiety after their first pregnancy and delivery. Materials and methods: This interventional study was conducted on 67 one-child women, who at least 6 years have been passed since the birth of their child and according to the short form of the Pregnancy Related Anxiety Questionnaire (PRAQ-17), have been experienced anxiety. These women were randomly divided into control and intervention groups. For the intervention group, the MBSR program was conducted in 8 sessions, once every week, each session lasting 2.5 hours. At the end of the program, a second PRAQ-17 was completed by both groups. Results: The findings showed that the MBSR approach in the intervention group significantly decreased the anxiety score in total (p=0.001) and individually in all subcategories. Conclusion: The MBSR approach can reduce the anxiety of one-child women who have experienced anxiety after their pregnancy and childbirth. Thus, using this method in helping women with pregnancy-related anxiety is recommended to increase the birth rate.