The Effect of Emotional Freedom Techniques on Anxiety, Surgical Fear and Traumatic Birth Perception of Pregnant Women Who Will Have a Planned Caesarean Section: A Randomised Controlled Study

Although childbirth is a normal physiological event for the female body, it causes stress for the woman and brings with it many risks. Cesarean section, which is one of the birth types; It is a surgical procedure that enables delivery to occur through an incision made on the abdominal wall and uterus of the mother. Although the cesarean rate recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) is 15%, the rate of cesarean section in our country is 52.1% according to the Turkey Demographic and Health Survey.

Every surgical procedure to be performed, the decision of surgery and the waiting period may cause anxiety in individuals. Anxiety and fear experienced before surgery; It can cause individuals to experience uneasiness, restlessness and dissatisfaction due to the uncertainty they are in. Preoperative pain, fear of death, the thought that the body will be harmed and suffering, fear of losing consciousness and control due to anesthesia, and the uncertainty associated with anesthesia may cause fear of surgery. Anxiety before cesarean section is multifaceted, and it has been reported that the pregnancy process increases anxiety. In studies, it was determined that the anxiety level of mothers before cesarean section was high. The extreme degree of anxiety and fear plays a very important role in the formation of traumatic perception towards birth.

Many methods are used to reduce negative emotions in the prenatal period. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which is one of these methods, is a method used to resolve emotional blockages in the energy body of the person. EFT aims to reveal all the points where there is a possibility of negative emotion experienced in the past and stuck in a part of the body. By focusing on the emotions that negatively affect the person in EFT, the energy flow is regulated with stimulations often made by touch. When administered to pregnant women, it may contribute to a decrease in post-traumatic stress disorder and to reduce the level of anxiety and fear.

Since all the follow-up and care of the pregnant during the prenatal period are carried out by the midwives, the care provided by the midwives to the women during the prenatal period plays a key role for the woman to have a comfortable and healthy pregnancy. Midwives should take psychological approaches in order to reduce the negative feelings of women before cesarean section. Considering all these, it is thought that EFT, which does not require any invasive intervention, is inexpensive and easy to apply, will contribute to women's feeling better by reducing pre-cesarean anxiety, surgical fear and traumatic birth perception.