Drawing and Midwife-led Counseling for Reducing Fear of Childbirth and Distress in Late Pregnancy

Background: Pregnancy and childbirth increase maternal fear and distress. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effectiveness of drawing combined with Midwife-led Counseling (MLC) with that of MLC alone in reducing Fear of Childbirth (FOC) and distress during the third trimester of pregnancy. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 100 pregnant women (28–32 weeks). The drawing and MLC group painted with free themes twice a week and received MLC once a week to address maternal fears and distress over a five-week period. In the MLC group, only MLC was conducted. Data were collected through demographic information, the Childbirth Attitudes Questionnaire (CAQ), and the Prenatal Distress Questionnaire before and after the intervention, and were analyzed using analysis of covariance, chi-square tests, and independent t-tests. Results: The mean fear and distress scores of both groups decreased significantly after the intervention (P<0.001). However, the difference in the mean fear score between the intervention group (33.5 ± 7.7) and the MLC group (34 ± 8.1) and the difference in the mean distress score between the intervention group (10.2 ± 3.8) and the MLC group (11 ± 4.9) were not statistically significant. There were also no significant differences in pregnancy outcomes between the two groups. Conclusion: Compared with the MLC group, the drawing and MLC group experienced greater, although statistically insignificant, reductions in fear of childbirth and distress. However, further research is necessary to draw definitive conclusions. Furthermore, the interventions in our study did not affect pregnancy outcomes, including delivery method, hypertension, preterm delivery, or gestational diabetes.