The effect of positive birth story videos on women’s fear of birth, childbirth self- efficacy and birth preference: A randomized controlled study
Women and Health, vol.65, no.7, pp.559-570, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 65 Issue: 7
- Publication Date: 2025
- Doi Number: 10.1080/03630242.2025.2537659
- Journal Name: Women and Health
- Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, IBZ Online, Periodicals Index Online, AgeLine, CAB Abstracts, CINAHL, Educational research abstracts (ERA), Gender Studies Database, PAIS International, Psycinfo, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, Violence & Abuse Abstracts
- Page Numbers: pp.559-570
- Keywords: Birth preference, digital storytelling, fear of childbirth, midwifery, randomized controlled trial, self-efficacy
- Kütahya Health Sciences University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
Fear of childbirth is a common concern among primiparous women and may negatively affect their confidence and birth preferences. This randomized controlled trial examined the effects of positive birth story videos on childbirth fear, self-efficacy, and birth beliefs. A total of 120 primiparous women between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 60), which attended four weekly digital storytelling workshops featuring positive birth videos, or a control group (n = 60), which received routine antenatal education. Measures were taken at baseline, four weeks post-intervention, and within 24 hours postpartum. At baseline, both groups had similar scores in fear of childbirth, childbirth self-efficacy, and birth beliefs (p >.05). After the intervention, the intervention group had significantly lower mean scores for fear of childbirth (18.17 ± 3.51) compared to the control group (55.12 ± 7.23). Their beliefs in a medicalized birth process were also lower (22.12 ± 4.19 vs. 24.87 ± 2.91), while childbirth self-efficacy (288.77 ± 13.49 vs. 248.13 ± 15.30) and beliefs in a natural birth process (24.73 ± 3.46 vs. 18.27 ± 2.73) were significantly higher (p <.001 for all). These findings suggest that integrating digital storytelling with positive birth narratives into antenatal education may effectively reduce fear of childbirth and enhance women’s self-efficacy and preference for physiological birth.