The Effectiveness of Adlerian Group Counseling Approachon Mother’s Distress and Self-care During Pregnancy: ARandomized Controlled Trial

Introduction: Distress is the most perceived behavioral state manifested by pregnantwomen and can directly or indirectly increase the risk of experiencing prenatal complications.Objective: The present study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the Adlerian groupcounseling approach on a mother’s distress and self-care during pregnancy. Materials andMethods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted on ۷۹ eligible pregnant women referredto seven community health centers in Karaj City, Iran, from March ۲۰۱۸ to December ۲۰۱۹. Theeligible women were assigned to the intervention (n=۴۰) and control (n=۳۹) groups using the blockrandomization method. The intervention group (gestational age of ۲۲-۳۲ weeks) received theAdlerian group counseling approach, while the control group received routine individualcounseling. The study data were collected using the quality of prenatal self-care questionnaire andprenatal distress questionnaire at three time points; baseline, after, and one month after theintervention or routine counseling. The study data were analyzed by the Chi-squared test, Fisherexacttest, and independent t-test, as well as repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: TheMean±SD ages of the intervention and the control groups were ۲۳.۳۹±۲.۸۵ and ۲۳.۳۹±۲.۸۵ years,respectively. After the intervention, the results of repeated measures analysis of variance showeda statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups regarding thechanges in the mean scores of prenatal distresses (P=۰.۰۰۰۱) and four domains (physical health,behavioral assessment, healthy relationships, and social health) ofself-care (P=۰.۰۰۰۱).Conclusion: The Adlerian group counseling approach effectively improved prenatal distress andself-care during pregnancy.