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Background & Aim: In pregnancy following stillbirth, the parental relationship and attachment to the dead child are denied, and this can impair the mother’s attachment to the new child. The present study aimed to determine the effect of cognitive behavioral training on maternal-fetal attachment in subsequent pregnancy following stillbirth.
Methods & Materials: This quasi-experimental study was performed on 100 pregnant women with the history of stillbirth, referred to health centers in Zahedan in 2017. Mothers were selected using convenience sampling and assigned into two groups of 50 each. Data were collected by a demographic questionnaire and the Cranley maternal-fetal attachment scale. After pre-test, the intervention group received 4 sessions of cognitive behavioral training during 4 weeks. After 8 weeks, the post-test was performed for two groups and data were analyzed using independent t-test, chi-square, Fisher's exact and ANCOVA tests through the SPSS software version 21.
Results: The mean score for maternal-fetal attachment was not significantly different in the baseline but was significantly higher in the intervention group (92.36±11.89) than in the control group (80.90±16.36) after the intervention (P<0.001). The adjustment for the pre-test score, optimism and visit numbers in ANCOVA the mean score for maternal-fetal attachment in the post-test were still significant (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Considering the effect of cognitive behavioral training on the promotion of maternal-fetal attachment, it is recommended that this training be integrated into the care program for pregnant women with a history of stillbirth.