THE EFFECT OF FATHERS' PARTICIPATION IN PRENATAL CARE ON ANXIETY AND MATERNAL-FETAL ATTACHMENT IN UNWANTED FIRST PREGNANT WOMEN DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The participation of men in prenatal care has always been the focus of
international organizations to promote the health of mothers and children. The aim of the present study
is to investigate the effect of fathers' participation in prenatal care on anxiety and maternal-fetal
attachment in unwanted first pregnant women during Covid-19 Pandemic.
Materials & Methods: The population of the present study was all the unwanted first pregnant women
who referred to the gynecology clinic of Amiralmo'menin Hospital in Semnan. According to the research
criteria, 60 people were purposefully selected and by simple random sampling (cards shuffling) divided
into experimental and control groups. The fathers and mothers of the experimental group underwent
prenatal care training by midwives during 8 sessions of 20 - 30 minutes, and the women in the control
group underwent the same training without the presence of their husbands. One day before and one day
after the end of the research, anxiety and maternal-fetal attachment were measured by Spielberger and
Cranley questionnaires, respectively.
Results: The results of the multivariate analysis of covariance indicated that after the intervention,
women in the experimental group had a significant decrease in anxiety and a significant increase in fetal
attachment compared to the control group (p≤0.007).
Conclusion: According to the present results, it can be said that the participation of father in prenatal
care can be an effective and low-cost way to reduce anxiety and improve maternal-fetal attachment in
first-time pregnant women in unwanted pregnancies and Covid-19 Pandemic Increases pregnancy
anxiety, is used.