ABSTRACT

Introduction: Birth is a period of biological, physical, emotional and social changes which are significant in adapting to motherhood. Women in labour experience fear, worry and anxiety because they are unable to know and understand what they go through and what happens. Such situations consequently affect the birth preferences of mothers.

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to examine the effects of motivational interviews, which were carried out during pregnancy, on birth preferences. Materials and Methods: This study is a randomized controlled experimental one. A total of 100 pregnant women were included in the study, including 50 pregnant women in the experimental group and 50 pregnant women in the control group. Three motivational interviews were conducted with the experimental group which started during pregnancy (26-28 weeks) and continued in the postnatal period (Figure 1). Nutrition training was given to the control group during pregnancy. SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) version 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) was used for the statistical analyses of the

study. For the comparisons of the quantitative data between the groups, the Independent

Samples t Test and the Mann-Whitney U Test were used, while the Paired Samples t Test and the Wilcoxon Test were used in the repeated measurements. In the categorical data analysis, the Chi-Square tests (Pearson Chi-Square, Continuity Correction, Fisher’s Exact Test) were used. The results were evaluated at the 95% confidence interval, whereas the significance level was found to be p <0.05.

Results: According to the study groups (the experiment and control groups), it was found that the demographic characteristics of the pregnant women did not show any statistically significant difference (p> 0.05). Although not statistically significant, the normal birth rate in the experimental group (74.2%) was higher compared to that of the control group (65.6%). (χ2 = 0.768; p = 0.681). (Table 1). It was determined from the current findings that the pregnant women in the experimental group had higher efficiency and outcome expectations regarding labour than the pregnant women in the control group (p <0.05). The mean score of the mothers in the experimental group (62.26±18.86) regarding the postnatal first and second days of the W-DEQ-B scale was revealed to be statistically and significantly lower than that of the mothers in the control group (88.19±21.15) (p = <0.001). The first measurement mean score of the MG rating scale confidence parameter of the pregnant women in the experimental group at 26-28 weeks (5.98±2.59) increased in a statistically significant way compared to the second measurement mean score at 32-34 weeks (7.12±2.32) (p=0.014). (Table 2). The mean score of the mothers having vaginal birth or caesarean section in the experimental group regarding the postnatal first and second days of the W-DEQ-B scale (62.30±21.07 and 62.13±11.38) was observed to be statistically and significantly less than that of the mothers in the control group (85.43±17.49 and 93.45±27.00) (p=<0.001 and p=0.008).

Conclusion: Motivational interview model can be used to support vaginal delivery.