Effect of Interventions to Reduce Fear of Childbirth in Pregnancy: Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Some pregnant women have negative emotions that may predominate and they may develop a fear of childbirth. This causes negative consequences for their health and well-being. A complete definition of the causes of childbirth fear has not yet been established in the literature, but in a systematic review, various factors were found. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to reveal the effect of educational, cognitive, and behavioral interventions on the reduction of fear of childbirth (FOC) in pregnant women. METHODS: For this meta-analysis study, articles in PubMed, EBSCOhost, Web of Science, YÖK Thesis Center, and Google Scholar databases were searched without any year limitation in between September 2022 and February 2023. A total of 25 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The data were analyzed by meta-analysis and narrative methods. RESULTS: This meta-analysis showed that educational, cognitive, and behavioral interventions were effective in reducing FOC in pregnant women (standardized mean difference: −1.229, 95% confidence interval [−1.586, −0.872]; Z = −6,746, p = .000, I2 = 94.225%). In subgroup analyzes, intervention types such as antenatal education, mindfulness, psychoeducation, and psychotherapy were found to be effective in reducing FOC. Interventions applied to women who have FOC reduce the FOC and provide a more positive birth experience. CONCLUSION: Results of the present study showed that educational programs could serve as an important tool in reducing women’s fear from natural childbirth and in choosing physiologic birth.