The Effect of Maternal-Fetal Attachment Training on the Distress Tolerance and Rumination in First Pregnant Mothers

Background and objectives: First pregnancy, due to unknown pregnancy experiences, can cause psychological and emotional distress for mothers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of maternal-fetal attachment training to tolerate distress and rumination of first pregnant mothers. Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental with pretest, posttest, control group, and forty-five-day follow-up period design. The statistical population consisted of all the first pregnant mothers in Tehran in 2016. The study sample consisted of 30 first pregnant mothers with an age range between 25 and 35 years. Participants were selected through a non-random sampling method and they were randomly assigned into intervention and control groups. The intervention group received nine sessions of ninety-minute comprehensive training of maternal-fetal attachment during one month while the control group did not receive such intervention during the study process. The questionnaires used in this study included Distress Tolerance Questionnaire (Simmons and Gaher, 2005) and Ruminant Questionnaire (Nolenhoxma and Murrow, 1991). The data were analyzed by repeated measurement ANOVA. Results: The results of data analysis showed that training maternal-fetal attachment has significantly influenced distress tolerance (f=153.08, p<0.001) and rumination (f=256.11, p<0.001) in the first pregnant mothers. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that training maternal-fetal attachment by using relaxation and breathing techniques to reduce anxiety and mental imaging training can increase distress tolerance and reduce rumination of first pregnant mothers. Accordingly, training maternal-fetal attachment can be applied as an effective treatment to reduce the distress tolerance and rumination of first pregnant mothers.