The effect of peer education on fear of childbirth in pregnant women: A randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Objectives: The fear of childbirth (FOC) is a common problem in women’s lives. Several interventions were carried out to reduce the fear of delivery during pregnancy. Despite these interventions, the increase in cesarean statistics indicates that routine interventions are not effective in controlling the FOC. Accordingly, the present study investigated the effect of peer education on the degree of FOC in pregnant women. Materials and Methods: This clinical trial was performed on 108 low-risk pregnant women aged 18-35 years old referring to community health centers of Gonabad University of Medical Sciences. The participants were randomly assigned to peer education, discussion, and control groups using block randomization (36 in each group). The peer education and discussion groups included four 2-hour sessions for 4 weeks and a training booklet. In peer education and discussion groups, the training was done by trained counterparts and a specialist, respectively. Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS software through ANOVA and chi-square tests. Results: The results showed a significant difference between mean scores of the FOC in the 3 groups after the intervention (P = 0.007). In addition, the Scheffe test showed a significant difference between peer education and the discussion groups (P = 0.013). However, after 4 weeks of intervention, no significant difference was observed in the choice of delivery type in the 3 groups (P = 0.122). Conclusions: In general, the interventional therapy program of peer education is effective in decreasing the FOC in pregnant women.