A Spiritual Intervention to Reduce Stress, Anxiety and Depression in Pregnant Women: Randomized Controlled Trial Publisher Pubmed



Sanaeinasab H^{1, 2} ; Saffari M^{1, 2} ; Sheykholiya Z² ; Khalaji K³ ; Laluie A⁴ ; Al Zaben F⁵ ; Koenig HG^{5, 6, 7} Show Affiliations
Source: Health Care for Women International Published:2021

Abstract

We assessed the efficacy of a spiritually-integrated cognitive-behavioral educational group intervention for reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and blood pressure during pregnancy and improving delivery outcomes. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 84 pregnant women randomly assigned to either the intervention or a control group. Demographic information was collected at baseline, along with measures of religiosity, stress, anxiety, depression, and blood pressure. Our intervention consisted of four 90-minute group sessions over 8 weeks that utilized a spiritually-integrated cognitive-behavioral approach to help participants cope with the stress of pregnancy. Stress, anxiety and depression scores in the intervention group decreased significantly by 41%, 28%, and 41%, respectively, from baseline to 3-month follow-up. There were also significant differences in systolic and diastolic blood pressure between groups at the 3-month follow-up, favoring the intervention group. Between-group differences were also significant for these outcomes. Applying such spiritually-integrated intervention may help to improve the mental and physical health of young, healthy nulliparous pregnant women. © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.