Introduction: The responses to a life-changing event can be different. The study aimed to determine the effect of counseling on coping strategies among women facing unplanned pregnancy.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 70 unplanned pregnant women with a gestational age <10 weeks, who scored ≥ 15 in the avoidance pattern of Revised Prenatal Coping Inventory (NU-PCI). The participants were randomly assigned into the intervention and control groups. Three counseling sessions were held for the intervention group. Data were gathered using questionnaires of the women's perceptions of unplanned pregnancy, decision-making style and strategies, NU-PCI, and the checklist for the type of decision. Independent t-tests, ANCOVA, and Chi-square were used.
Results: After intervention, the mean score of the avoidance pattern in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group [AMD: - 4.35, 95% CI: -8.7 to -0.13, P=0.03]. In addition, the continuation rate of pregnancy in the intervention group, 28 subjects (80%), was significantly higher than that in the control group, 21 (60%) (P = 0.03).
Conclusion: The counseling leads to a decrease in the use of avoidance strategies among women facing unplanned pregnancies. Development of supportive interventions for women experiencing unplanned pregnancies is recommended specially in societies with induced abortion restrictions.
Keywords: Coping; counselling; decision-making; unplanned pregnancy.