Abstract:
Background: Motivational interviews (MI) may change the perspective of birth in pregnant women by changing their negative thoughts and increasing their self-efficacy. Objective: This study was conducted to identify the effects of MI on childbirth perceptions and childbirth self-efficacy in nulliparous pregnant women who had traumatic childbirth perceptions. Methodology: The research was carried out as a randomised-controlled trial wıth 166 pregnant women, including 83 experimental group and 83 control group. In the collection of data, the Traumatic Childbirth Perception Scale (TCPS) and the Childbirth Self-Efficacy Inventory (CSEI-C32) were utilised. Four sessions of MI were held with the pregnant women in the experimental group at weekly intervals whereas no initiative was applied to the pregnant women in the control group. Results: As per the measurements performed after the MI held with the experimental group, it was found that the experimental group had a significantly lower mean TCPS score than the control group (p < 0.001). The experimental group also had a significantly higher mean CSEI-C32 score than the control group (p < 0.001). Conclusion: MI can be effective in reducing the traumatic childbirth perceptions and increasing childbirth self-efficacy. However, further research is required to assess the effectiveness MI on traumatic birth perception and self-efficacy. © 2022 Society for Reproductive & Infant Psychology.