The Effect of Education Given to Pregnant Women on the Perception of Traumatic Childbirth

One of the most important goals of the World Health Organization is to achieve integrated and quality care that creates positive pregnancy and childbirth experiences for women (WHO 2016). Pregnancy is one of the most vulnerable periods in a woman's life and it is possible to predict most of the deaths that occur during pregnancy or childbirth; therefore, providing health care during and after pregnancy is one of the main strategies to improve the health and prevent deaths of mothers and babies (Doaltabadi et al. 2021). In our country, childbirth preparation training has been included in education and practice in different forms for many years. Birth preparation class (DHS) related pieces of training started in the 1990s. Childbirth education classes prepare pregnant women for childbirth and can be done individually or in groups. These courses aim to improve women's lifestyles during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum while protecting infant and maternal rights (Krysa et al., 2016). Education and group interactions allow mothers to share their experiences and knowledge and support each other. Participation in these educational courses includes reducing fear of childbirth and increasing awareness of the potential risks of cesarean section, which leads to improved pregnancy outcomes (Kordi et al. 2017). Studies on the effectiveness of prenatal education have yielded conflicting results. One study showed that this training significantly reduced the fear of childbirth in pregnant women and increased the desire for natural birth (Mousavi et al. 2021). On the other hand, another study did not show a significant effect of this training on reducing anxiety and increasing mothers' self-efficacy (Khaikin et al. 2016). It was also reported that this training reduced labor anxiety but did not affect the duration and mode of labor (Artieta-Pinedo et al. 2010). According to the results of Lee and Holroyd, pregnant women participating in childbirth preparation courses can manage their pregnancy and postpartum better than women who receive only routine care (Lee and Holroyd 2009). When the studies were examined, it was seen that most of the studies were conducted on fear of childbirth and a study on traumatic birth perception has not been found yet. Various health education methods such as face-to-face education, brochures, clips and educational mass media have been used for decades to motivate healthy behaviors in pregnant women.

During pregnancy, expectant mothers often seek information and support to better prepare for birth. Traditionally, pregnant women have relied on books, health professionals, and face-to-face childbirth education classes for information. Given the importance of educating pregnant women about appropriate prenatal care and the potential for education to improve these activities, this study will examine the impact of education on reducing perceptions of traumatic birth in pregnant women.

Place of the study: The study will be conducted with pregnant women admitted to Bartın Maternity and Pediatric Hospital.

Population and sample of the study: The population of the study will consist of pregnant women admitted to Bartın Maternity and Pediatric Hospital who scored at least 53 points on the Traumatic Birth Perception Scale. The minimum traumatic birth perception scale score is 0 and the maximum is 130. Scale total score 0-26 points range is very low, 27-52 points range is low, 53-78 points range is medium, 79-104 points range is high and 105-130 points range is very high traumatic birth perception level (Yalnız et al., 2016). Before starting the study, power analysis was performed with the G*Power 3.1.9.7 program to determine the number of participants in the intervention and control groups (Faul et al., 2013). As a result of the power analysis applied with the G*Power 3.1.9.7 program, the sample size was determined as 26 people in the groups and 52 people in total according to the type 1 error: 0.05 type 2 error: 0.20 and effect size = 0.80 for the determination of the difference between the groups in terms of measurements. Considering the calculated situation due to possible losses in the study, the sample size was increased by 20% and it was planned to take 62 pregnant women, 31 in groups. Pregnant women participating in the study will not be informed which group they are in. Blinding will not be done because the researcher is involved in grouping, intervention and data collection.

Inclusion Criteria: