Emotional Freedom Techniques and Virtual Reality Application for Fear of Childbirth

Summary

Fear of labour in primiparous pregnant women is an important factor that directly affects the mother-infant relationship and the mental health of the mother. In this process, it is common for expectant mothers to experience feelings of uncertainty and anxiety about labour. Such intense fear of birth may weaken maternal attachment and make it difficult for her to establish a healthy emotional relationship with her baby. In addition, this fear may negatively affect the mother's mental well-being and increase the risk of depression and anxiety.

In this context, emotional liberation techniques (EFT) and virtual reality (VR) applications stand out as effective nonpharmacological methods used to reduce fear of childbirth in primiparous pregnant women. EFT is a technique that provides relaxation by touching the energy meridians that help the person to regulate negative emotions and cope with stress. SG, on the other hand, allows expectant mothers to interact with simulations similar to the real world in a virtual environment, providing therapeutic benefits through distraction, stress reduction and cognitive restructuring, allowing them to manage their fears about birth and enter the process more prepared. The use of SLT and SG, especially for primiparous pregnant women, can alleviate these women's anxiety about childbirth and enable them to approach the process in a safer and more conscious manner. Thus, it may also help to reduce the negative effects on the mother's postnatal attachment and mental health.

This study aims to examine the effects of SLT and SG practices on fear of childbirth, attachment and mental well-being, and to reveal the effects of these two methods on primiparous pregnant women. In this context, this study will fill the gap in the literature by providing a new perspective in clinical practice and antenatal education programmes and will make important contributions to increase antenatal attachment and mental well-being in primiparous pregnancy.

Conditions

• Fear of Childbirth
• Mental Well-being
• Attachment
• Emotional Freedom Technique
• Virtual Reality
• Primiparous Pregnant Women

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

emotional freedom techniques

emotional freedom techniques

BEHAVIORAL

emotional freedom techniques and virtual reality

emotional freedom techniques and virtual reality

BEHAVIORAL

control group/ none intervention

None intervention

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Inonu University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Zeliha Özşahin, Dr · Inonu University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-01-31

Primary Completion

2025-12-31

Completion

2026-05-30

Countries

• Turkey (Türkiye)

Study Locations