The effectiveness of Adlerian group counseling approach on mother’s distress and self-care during pregnancy: A randomized controlled trial

Introduction: As the most perceived behavioral state manifested by pregnant women, distress can directly or indirectly increase the risk of experiencing prenatal complications. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Adlerian group counseling approach (AGCA) on mother’s distress and self-care during pregnancy.Methods: This Randomize Controlled Trial (RCT) was conducted on ۸۸ eligible participants referred to seven community health centers in Karaj, Iran from March ۲۰۱۸ to December ۲۰۱۹. The eligible participants were assigned to intervention and control groups (۴۴each) using block randomization. The intervention group received AGCA, while the control group received the routine individual counseling. The study data were collected using the Quality of Prenatal Self-Care Questionnaire (QSCQ) and Prenatal Distress Questionnaire (PDQ) at three time points; i.e., baseline, after, and one month after intervention.Results: After the intervention, the trend of changes showed that difference in three domains of prenatal distress (distress about neonate care, distress about body image, and distress about emotions and interpersonal relationships), and four domains of self-care (physical health, behavioral assessment, healthy relationships, and social health) across the three-time points. (p=۰.۰۰۰۱). No significant difference was observed in the control group.Conclusion: Base on this study, AGCA was found as effective counseling for improving prenatal distress and self-care during pregnancy.

کلیدواژه ها:

Health service ، Counseling ، Self-care ، RCT