Effect of a stress management intervention based on self-efficacy theory for enriching marital relationships and sleep quality in pregnant women

Anxieties related to pregnancy and childbirth are common in the first pregnancy.To evaluate the effect of a stress management intervention based on self-efficacy theory in primigravida women,as indicated by sleep quality,relationship quality and marital satisfaction.A quasi-experimental longitudinal design and a control group. Inclusion criteria were 14–18 weeks gestation, no concomitant illness, and attending one of the four healthcare centers in South Iran in 2022.Two centers were randomly allocated as the intervention group and the other two centers as the control group.From the 128 eligible pregnant women who consented,39 were randomly allocated to each condition.The intervention group completed eight weekly one-hour stress management training sessions delivered using a blended learning approach.Data were collected using a survey before the intervention,and immediately after the intervention.The survey included a demographic information and questionnaires measuring self-efficacy,marital satisfaction,relationship quality and sleep quality.Data were analyzed using independent and paired t-tests to determine the efficacy of the intervention through a comparison of changes in mean scores between the two groups pre- and post-intervention.Self-efficacy,sleep quality,intimate relationship quality,and marital satisfaction were significantly improved at post-test in the intervention group (p < 0.01).There were no meaningful changes in the control group.Stress management training can improve self-efficacy,sleep quality,relationship quality,and marital satisfaction in primigravida women.