The effect of supportive- educational counseling with men on distress of their pregnant wives: A randomized controlled trials.

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Maternal distress is the experience of general pregnancy distress (stress, anxiety and depression) and specific pregnancy distress during pregnancy and childbirth. Maternal distress is associated with negative consequences on maternal and fetal health. Evidence shows that maternal distress during pregnancy increases the risk of spontaneous abortion, premature birth, and high blood pressure. Considering the importance of the role of spouses in the pregnancy process and the positive effects of men's participation in pregnancy and its impact on the future health of society, this research was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of educational-support counseling with men on their distress. Pregnant women (primary outcome), perceived violence by pregnant women, (secondary outcome) were conducted. Materials and methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on husbands of pregnant women referring to health centers in Tabriz city. In this way, the researcher visited the health care centers of pregnant women from 18 to 24 weeks and selected them based on their health records and invited them after checking the entry and exit criteria during a phone call and giving a brief explanation about the research and its importance. Mothers (102 people) should go to the health center with their husbands on the scheduled date. To assign the participants to the studied groups (virtual support-educational consultation with fathers), the random block method was used with blocks 4 and 6 and with an allocation ratio of 1:1. Before the study, in both groups, individual social and midwifery questionnaires and the Tilberg pregnancy distress scale and the violence questionnaire designed by the World Health Organization were completed with an interview at the beginning of the study. After completing the violence questionnaire designed by the World Health Organization and the Tilberg Pregnancy Distress Scale questionnaire, the study was completed with an interview. Educational counseling was done for the intervention group. In this regard, the 45-60 minute consultation content was uploaded on 4 occasions with one week intervals in the created WhatsApp group. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including frequency and percentage and analytical statistics including independent t-test and Yeoman-Whitney. Findings: 51 people in the counseling group and 51 people in the control group were followed up and analyzed until the end of the study. The median (range 75-25) of total distress before the intervention was 3 in the intervention group and the median (range 25-75) in the control group was 3, and statistically no significant difference was observed between the two groups (P=539). The median (range 25 to 75) of overall distress after the intervention was in intervention group 1 and the median (range 25 to 75) of the control group was 3, and a statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups. From 0.001. The median (range 25 to 75) of the general violence subscale before the intervention was 0 in the intervention group and 0 in the control group, and statistically, no significant difference was observed between the two groups (p=0.105). The median (range 25 to 75) of the general violence subscale after the intervention was 0 in the intervention group and 0 in the control group, and statistically, no significant difference was observed between the two groups, p=0.329. Conclusion: Counseling with husbands of pregnant women can reduce the distress of pregnant women, so counseling with fathers is recommended as a complementary, effective and non-invasive intervention in controlling their psychological problems and improving the health status of pregnant mothers.