Therapeutic group psychoeducation and relaxation in treating fear of childbirth

Abstract

Background: The increase in the numbers of women fearing childbirth and requesting cesarean sections call for new forms of antenatal treatment.

Methods: Finnish nulliparous women experiencing severe fear of childbirth (experimental group, n = 102) attended 5 group sessions with a psychologist, once together with a midwife, during the third trimester. One session was held 3 months after the delivery. Each session consisted of a discussion of fear and feelings towards the impending birth and parenthood in a psychotherapeutic atmosphere and of relaxation exercises focused on an imaginary childbirth. The results were compared with those of 85 women treated for fear of childbirth by 2 appointments with an obstetrician (conventional treatment).

Results: Before the sessions, among the women in the experimental group, scored fear of childbirth, on a scale of one to ten, was 6.9+/-2.0 (SD), which is similar to the score of those receiving conventional treatment (6.0+/-1.6). After the sessions, 84 women in the experimental group (82.4%) and 57 in the conventional treatment group (67.1%) chose to have a vaginal delivery (p = 0.02). The women in the experimental treatment group rated the helpfulness of the sessions 8.5+/-1.6 on a scale where 10 was maximum help and 1 no help at all, and mentioned "sharing their feelings" twice as often as "receiving information" as the most helpful factor in relieving fear.

Conclusions: Group psychoeducation and relaxation exercises were well received and rated as very helpful. More cesarean section requests were withdrawn than in the comparison group and in previous studies.