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

Mojgan Malekpoorafshar; Parvin Salehinejad; Fatemeh Pouya; Noshiravan Khezri Moghadam; Armita Shahesmaeili

doi:10.18502/jfrh.v15i1.6070

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

J Family Reprod Health. 2021 Mar;15(1):19-27. doi: 10.18502/jfrh.v15i1.6070.

Authors

Mojgan Malekpoorafshar¹, Parvin Salehinejad^{1

2}, Fatemeh Pouya², Noshiravan Khezri Moghadam³, Armita Shahesmaeili⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Midwifery, Razi School of Nursing and Midwifery, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
² Neuroscience Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
³ Department of Psychology, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran.
⁴ World Health Organization Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Anxiety; Fear; Mindfulness; Pregnancy; Reproductive Behavior.