Effects of Cognitive-Behavioral Counseling on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Mothers with Infants Hospitalized at Neonatal Intensive Care Units: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy and childbirth are among the most stressful experiences in women. This study was conducted to determine effects of cognitive-behavioral counseling on posttraumatic stress disorder in mothers with infants hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units. Methods: The present randomized, controlled, clinical trial was conducted during year 2016. A total of 90 eligible females, attending Kowsar Hospital (Qazvin, Iran), were recruited through convenience sampling and allocated to the intervention and control groups, using random blocks of four. A total of eight counseling sessions were held for the two groups. The post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom scale was distributed among the participants before, immediately after, and three weeks after the intervention. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS 19.0 software. Results: The two groups were not significantly different in terms of baseline PTSD scores. According to the generalized estimation equation model, the two groups had significant differences in terms of the mean PTSD scores immediately and three weeks after the intervention (P = 0.002) and the mean scores were significantly lower in the intervention group on both occasions. Friedman test results confirmed the reducing trend in the intervention group’s mean PTSD scores at all three occasions (P = 0.000). Conclusions: Counseling had a positive effect on reducing PTSD symptoms in mothers with special conditions. This method can, hence, be recommended for improving the health status of these mothers.