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. 2021 Jul;8(4):1527-1537.
doi: 10.1002/nop2.681. Epub 2020 Nov 18.

A systematic review of clinical trials affecting anxiety, stress and fear of childbirth in expectant fathers

Seyedeh Fatemeh Ghaffari  1 , Forouzan Elyasi  2 , Seyed Nouraddin Mousavinasab  3 , Zohreh Shahhosseini  4
Affiliations

A systematic review of clinical trials affecting anxiety, stress and fear of childbirth in expectant fathers

Seyedeh Fatemeh Ghaffari et al. Nurs Open. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

Aim: To investigate clinical trials affecting anxiety, stress and fear of childbirth in fathers.

Design: A systematic literature search was conducted based on Cochrane Collaboration statement recommendation and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist.

Methods: With assistance of Medical Subject Headings, keywords were employed to search for relevant trials. Articles published between November 2000-November 2019 were searched in five electronic databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus and Cochrane as well as Iranian databases. The risk of bias was assessed by Cochrane Risk of Bias Scale.

Results: A total of eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Interventions were classified into four categories including pre-natal education, music therapy, massage therapy and relaxation training. The results showed that there is no evidence of a best intervention, but it showed that non-pharmacological interventions can decrease anxiety, stress and fear of childbirth and increase the positive experience of childbirth in the expectant fathers.

Keywords: anxiety; childbirth; fathers; fear; nurses; nursing; stress; trials.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Study selection process
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Review authors’ judgments about each risk of bias item as percentages across all included studies
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
The results of risk of bias evaluation for each included study
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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