Abstract

Fear of birth negatively affects women and processes before, during and after birth. The aim of this review is to raise awareness in health care professionals by bringing together studies that examine the effects of psychoeducation on childbirth fear. Literature search for topics CINAHL, PubMed, Science Direct, Ovid, Medline, Science Citation Index (Web of Science), and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ULAKBIM and YÖK National Thesis Center databases. In the management of fear of birth, between 2006-2018, twelve experimental studies were conducted on psychoeducation in Australia, Finland, Sweden and Iran. Psychoeducation was found to be statistically effective in reducing the fear of birth in seven of nine studies examining the effect of psychoeducation on the fear of birth, However, it was found that psychoeducation significantly reduced the cesarean rate in six of the seven studies examining the effect of psychoeducation on the type of birth. Finally psychoeducation increases the preference for vaginal birth while decreasing fear of birth and cesarean section. Psychoeducation, however, reduces the level of postpartum depression in women and supports maternal adaptation. As a result of integrating psychoeducation into nursing care practices on fear of childbirth, it is considered to contribute to the quality of care.