The effect of basic body awareness therapy on awareness, stress and anxiety in pregnant women

Abstract

Background

Pregnancy is a period in which various physical, physiological, and psycho-social changes occur. The risk of exposure to factors that may cause anxiety and stress at this stage of a woman's life is high. Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effect of Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT) on awareness, stress, and anxiety in pregnant women.

Methods

This study was conducted with the Control group using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design. All pregnant women (n=28) received routine pregnancy education by an instructed maternity nurse for six weeks, one day/one hour a week. The BBAT group (n=15) also received BBAT by a certified physiotherapist specialized in BBAT for six weeks, one day/one hour a week. BBAT sessions started with exercises performed on the ground and continued with special exercises performed in sitting and standing and ended with verbal feedback where participants reflected upon their experiences. The program also included couples exercises and massage techniques that participants applied to each other. In pregnant women, awareness was evaluated with the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, stress was evaluated with the Perceived Stress Scale and the Revised Prenatal Distress Questionnaire-17 Item Version, and anxiety level was evaluated with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.

Results

In between-group analysis, there was no difference in pre-intervention and post-intervention in terms of variables (p>0.05). In within-group analysis, there was a statistically significant difference in Revised Prenatal Distress Questionnaire-17 Item Version and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory/Trait-subgroup variables only in the BBAT Group (p=0.044, p=0.013, respectively).

Conclusion

BBAT can help to reduce prenatal distress and trait anxiety in pregnant women. It may provide physical and psychological benefits in pregnant women as a new strategy for coping with stress. In the future, studies can be designed to evaluate the efficacy of BBAT on physical, physiological, and psychological changes in pregnancy.