Document Type : Original Article
Researchers
1 Department of Clinical Psychology.Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences.Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Clinical Psychology. Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences,.Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran
Ministerial Ethics Committee
The present study aims to examine the effectiveness of Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) on pregnancy-specific stress and maternal-fetal attachment in primiparous women. Pregnancy is a sensitive and transformative process that involves extensive psychological, physiological, and social changes, and many women—particularly during their first pregnancy—experience varying levels of anxiety and stress. High levels of stress during this period are associated with negative outcomes, such as preterm birth, postpartum depression, and impaired fetal development.
On the other hand, maternal-fetal attachment, as a fundamental emotional bond between the mother and her unborn child, plays a crucial role in the mother’s psychological well-being and the child’s development. Pregnancy-related stress can weaken this attachment. Compassion-Focused Therapy, a novel approach within the third-wave cognitive-behavioral therapies, emphasizes cultivating self-kindness, empathy, and self-acceptance, and through the regulation of the “threat,” “drive,” and “soothing” emotional systems, it can reduce anxiety and enhance well-being. Although numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of CFT in alleviating psychological distress, few have investigated its application during pregnancy.
In this semi-experimental study, 30 primiparous women in their second trimester(week20 to 26) will be randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. The experimental group will participate in eight 30/45-minute CFT sessions. Data will be collected using the NuPDQ (Pregnancy-Specific Stress Questionnaire) and the MFAS (Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale), and analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). It is expected that CFT will reduce pregnancy-specific stress and enhance maternal-fetal attachment.