An investigation into the correlation between early-to-mid pregnancy exercise combined with cognitive behavioral therapy and anxiety levels and quality of life in patients

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of exercise combined with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on anxiety and quality of life in pregnant women. Methods: This study adopted a prospective randomized controlled trial design, and divided 60 pregnant women in the first and second trimesters into two groups. The control group received routine prenatal education, and the experimental group added moderate exercise and CBT on the basis of routine prenatal education. All participants completed the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) and World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) at the start of the study (baseline) and at 6 weeks after the intervention. Results: Baseline data, scores on HARS, and scores on WHOQOL-BREF were found to be consistent among the two groups of patients prior to the intervention (all P > 0.05). Following the intervention, the implementation of exercise combined with CBT resulted in significant improvements in anxiety levels within the experimental group, particularly with respect to aspects such as anxious mood, tension, insomnia, cognitive function, cardiovascular symptoms, and gastrointestinal symptoms (all P < 0.05). Similarly, the combination of exercise and CBT led to significant enhancement in the quality of life in the experimental group, particularly in areas such as physical health, psychological health, and environmental factors (all P < 0.05). Nevertheless, no significant disparities were observed between the two groups in terms of fears, depressive mood, muscular and sensory somatic symptoms, respiratory symptoms, genitourinary symptoms, autonomic symptoms, behavior during the interview, and social relationships (all P > 0.05). Conclusion: Exercise combined with CBT can effectively reduce the anxiety of pregnant women and improve their quality of life, which has important clinical significance for improving the mental health and quality of life of pregnant women in the first and second trimesters.