Journal of Education and Health Promotion

The effect of cognitive–behavioral counseling of pregnant women with the presence of a spouse on stress, anxiety, and postpartum depression

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Maryam Dafei 1
. Shahnaz Mojahed 1
. Ghasem Dastjerdi 2
. Ali Dehghani 3
. Tayebeh Shojaaddini Ardakani 4

1 Research Center for Nursing and Midwifery Care, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

2 Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

3 Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Public Health College, Shahid Sadoughi University, Yazd, Iran

4 Department of Midwifery, Maybod Branch, Islamic Azad University, Maybod, Iran

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pregnant women are classified as one of the vulnerable groups. Physiological and
psychological changes during pregnancy predispose them to serious psychiatric disorders; if not
identified and treated in time, it can have a negative and long‑term impact on mental health. The aim
of this study was to determine the effect of cognitive–behavioral counseling of pregnant women with
the presence of a spouse on the level of stress, anxiety, and postpartum depression.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study is a clinical trial that was performed on 40 pregnant
women with a gestational age of 32–28 weeks (20 in the intervention group, 20 in the control group)
who were randomly assigned to the intervention group and the control group according to the inclusion
criteria. Cognitive–behavioral group counseling in the presence of spouses was performed by the
midwife and under the supervision of a psychologist, in eight sessions, each session lasting 90 min,
once a week for the intervention group. The control group received routine care and a counseling
session. Data collection tools were demographic information questionnaire and Depression–Anxiety–
Stress Scale 21, which were completed before the intervention, immediately after the intervention,
and on the 14th day after delivery in both groups. Data analysis was performed using statistical tests,
independent t‑test, repeated measures test, Bonferroni post hoc test, and Kolmogorov–Smirnov test.
RESULTS: The results of this study showed that the mean scores of stress, anxiety, and depression
in the two groups in the preintervention stage were not significantly different (P < 0.05), but in the
postintervention stage and follow‑up, the mean scores of stress (P < 0.001), depression (P = 0.010),
and anxiety (P = 0.029) in the intervention group were significantly reduced compared to the control
group.
CONCLUSION: According to the research findings, cognitive–behavioral group counseling can be
effective as an approach in improving the symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression in pregnant
women. Therefore, it is necessary to plan properly to use this counseling approach to manage stress,
anxiety, and depression in women during pregnancy.

Keywords

Childbirth
cognitive–behavioral
counseling
pregnancy
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 11, Issue 4
May 2021
Pages 1-7

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