The power of storytelling: Empowering new parents to overcome fear of childbirth - A randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Fear of childbirth (FoC) impacts many first-time mothers. The "Stories-Empowered Education for New Parents" (SEEN) programme, a community-based intervention grounded in story and narrative transportation theories, offers a promising approach to address FoC. METHODS: This randomised controlled trial assessed SEEN's efficacy in first-time mothers. FoC was evaluated using both subjective (Fear of Childbirth Scale, FOBS) and objective physiological measures (heart rate, heart rate variability, skin conductance, and skin temperature). RESULTS: A total of 112 first-time mothers and their partners were randomly assigned to either a control or experimental group. The experimental group showed significant reductions in FOBS scores at all three measurement points. At the final assessment, this group also exhibited lower skin conductance during imagined childbirth, alongside significantly smaller differences in heart rate and skin conductance between resting and imagined states. Both subjective and objective measures consistently indicated a substantial reduction in FoC within the experimental group. CONCLUSION: The SEEN intervention effectively reduced moderate to severe FoC in first-time mothers. These findings support the broader application of storytelling and narrative-based interventions in addressing FoC challenges.