Effect of self-hypnosis on the experience of delivery fear and duration of labor in primiparity: A randomized clinical trial

Fear of delivery in females can lead to negative side effects, such as the experience of long and hard labor. Reduction of delivery fear is one of the goals of natural delivery program, and hypnosis has been considered a way to reduce this fear. With regard to the contradictory results of the studies in this field, this study aimed to determine the effect of self-hypnosis on the experience of delivery fear and duration of labor in primiparity.

This clinical trial was conducted on 63 pregnant women who were divided into self-hypnosis (n=30) and control groups (n=33) using a blocking method in Mashhad, Iran, during 2019. The intervention group received two sessions of hypnosis at 37th and 38th weeks of pregnancy which consisted of listening to an audio file until delivery time. On the other hand, the control group received only the routine care. Fear was evaluated at 37th week of pregnancy and 24 h after delivery. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 16), and a p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The mean scores of delivery fear experience (P<0.001), as well as the duration of the second stage (P=0.013) and third stage of labor (P=0.009) were significantly lower in the self-hypnosis group, compared to the controls.

Self-hypnosis was effective in reducing the experience of delivery fear and duration of the second and third stages of labor in primiparity. Therefore, self-hypnosis is recommended to reduce the experience of delivery fear and duration of the second and third stages of labor in primiparity.