A Paternal-fetal Attachment Pilot Intervention on Mental Health for Pregnant Mothers

Abstract

Pregnancy and post-pregnancy periods are associated with very important psychological and physiological changes, sometimes associated with pathological changes. Spouses' participation is one of the effective factors in promoting the mental health of pregnant women. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of paternal-fetal attachment pilot intervention on perceived mental health and perceived attachment to fetus. We implemented a paternal-fetal attachment pilot intervention designed to promote the mental health of pregnant women. We used an experimental pretest/posttest study design to evaluate the impact of paternal-fetal attachment that resulted in a hospital-affiliated prenatal centre, before and after pilot implementation. As hypothesised, perceived mental health and perceived attachment to fetus increased in the intervention group, but not in the control group. The pilot intervention that we set up in this study was effective for promoting mental health in pregnant mothers.