Development of Birth Perception Scale and Educational Intervention

NCT07188883 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 22-7T/9
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, a psychometric instrument was developed and validated to measure women's perceptions of childbirth. The scale demonstrated strong reliability and validity indicators through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. In the second phase, a randomized controlled trial was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured online education program on pregnant women's childbirth-related outcomes. A total of 80 pregnant women were recruited and randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n=40), which received a 9-hour online childbirth education program, or the control group (n=40), which received routine antenatal care. The primary outcomes were childbirth perception, fear of childbirth, and readiness for birth, assessed at baseline and post-intervention using validated instruments. The results showed that the online education program significantly improved childbirth perception and readiness for birth while reducing fear of childbirth compared to the control group. This trial provides evidence for the effectiveness of online antenatal education in promoting a positive childbirth experience and may contribute to improving maternal health outcomes in line with international recommendations for respectful maternity care.

Conditions

Fear of Childbirth

Keywords

birth perception; fear of childbirth; birth readiness; scale development; birth preparation education

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Childbirth Perception Score

  Measured by the validated Childbirth Perception Scale at baseline (before intervention) and 4 weeks after the intervention.

• Fear of Childbirth Score

  Measured by the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ) at baseline and 4 weeks after the intervention.

• Readiness for Birth Scor

  Measured by the Childbirth Readiness Scale at baseline and 4 weeks after the intervention.

Study Arms (2)

intervention group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

pretest-posttest, randomized controlled quasi-experimental design intervention research

Other: Birth Education

control group

NO INTERVENTION

pretest-posttest, randomized controlled quasi-experimental design intervention research

Interventions

Birth Education OTHER

The population consisted of all pregnant women between 24-36 weeks of gestation residing in Izmir province, and the study was completed with a total of 80 pregnant women, 40 pregnant women as intervention and 40 as control in line with the snowball sampling method. Ege Birth Perception Scale, Risk Assessment Form, Individual Introduction Form, Prenatal Self-Assessment Scale, Birth Education Evaluation Form were used to collect the data. Pregnant women who agreed to participate in the study were randomly divided into intervention and control groups; the intervention group received nine hours of online training, while the control group did not receive any intervention.

intervention group

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Pregnant women aged 18 years or older
• Gestational age between 20-34 weeks at the time of enrollment
• Ability to read and understand Turkish
• Access to the internet and a device (computer, tablet, or smartphone) to attend online sessions
• Willingness to participate in a 9-hour online childbirth education program
• Provided written informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• High-risk pregnancy requiring specialized medical care (e.g., preeclampsia, placenta previa, multiple gestation with complications)
• Known psychiatric disorders that could interfere with participation (e.g., severe anxiety disorder, major depression, psychosis)
• Inability to attend online sessions due to technical or personal limitations
• Previous participation in a structured childbirth education program during the current pregnancy
• Refusal or withdrawal of informed consent

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ege University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Ege University Faculty of Nursing

Izmir, 35100, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: research assistant

Model Details: pretest-posttest, randomized controlled quasi-experimental design intervention research

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 16, 2025
• First Posted: September 23, 2025
• Study Start: January 1, 2024
• Primary Completion: September 1, 2024
• Study Completion: September 3, 2025
• Last Updated: September 23, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)