Resting Heart Rate Variability and the Effects of Biofeedback Intervention in Women with Low-Risk Pregnancy and Prenatal Childbirth Fear

Narita, Yoshimi; Shinohara, Hitomi; Kodama, Hiroyuki

doi:10.1007/s10484-018-9389-1

Cited by 16 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 48 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Twelve studies examined alternative interventions, including relaxation (e.g. guided relaxation, meditation/mindfulness, hypnobirthing; Baleghi, Akerdi, & Pasha, 2016 ; Bulez et al, 2019 ; Byrne, Hauck, Fisher, Bayes, & Schutze, 2014 ; Fisher et al, 2012 ; Hunter et al, 2011 ; Pour-Edalati et al, 2019 ), exercise ( n = 2; Guder, Yalvac, & Vural, 2018 ; Guszkowska, 2014 ), art therapy ( n = 2; Sezen & Ünsalver, 2019 ; Wahlbeck, Kvist, & Landgren, 2018 ) or group psychodynamic (Saisto, Toivanen, Salmela-Aro, & Halmesmäki, 2006 ), role play (Navaee & Abedian, 2015 ) and heart rate monitoring (Narita, Shinohara, & Kodama, 2018 ). Ten studies had control groups; no studies were RCTs.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Interventions to treat fear of childbirth in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Between 5% and 14% of women suffer from fear of childbirth (FOC) which is associated with difficulties during birth and in postnatal psychological adjustment. Therefore, effective interventions are needed to improve outcomes for women. A systematic review and meta-analysis was used to identify effective interventions for treating women with FOC. Methods Literature searches were undertaken on online databases. Hand searches of reference lists were also carried out. Studies were included in the review if they recruited women with FOC and aimed to reduce FOC and/or improve birth outcomes. Data were synthesised qualitatively and quantitatively using meta-analysis. The literature searches provided a total of 4474 citations. Results After removing duplicates and screening through abstracts, titles and full texts, 66 papers from 48 studies were identified for inclusion in the review. Methodological quality was mixed with 30 out of 48 studies having a medium risk of bias. Interventions were categorised into six broad groups: cognitive behavioural therapy, other talking therapies, antenatal education, enhanced midwifery care, alternative interventions and interventions during labour. Results from the meta-analysis showed that most interventions reduced FOC, regardless of the approach (mean effect size = −1.27; z = −4.53, p < 0.0001) and that other talking therapies may reduce caesarean section rates (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.48–0.90). Conclusions Poor methodological quality of studies limits conclusions that can be drawn; however, evidence suggests that most interventions investigated reduce FOC. Future high-quality randomised controlled trials are needed so that clear conclusions can be made.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One exercise intervention including yoga, Pilates and body ball found no impact on FOC (Guszkowska, 2014 ) whereas another Pilates course was found to reduce FOC (Guder et al, 2018 ). Lastly, heart rate variability biofeedback was associated with lower FOC over time (from 32–34 to 36–67 weeks) (Narita et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interventions to treat fear of childbirth in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There are inconsistent findings about these associations in the existing literature. In one study, no significant association was found between fear of childbirth and HRV among pregnant women at 32 to 34 weeks of gestation [ 47 ]. However, higher self-perceived stress and lower HRV was reported among pregnant women between 12 and 30 weeks of gestation [ 48 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Technology-Based Pregnancy Health and Wellness Intervention (Two Happy Hearts): Case Study

Jimah¹,

Borg²,

Kehoe³

et al. 2021

JMIR Form Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background The physical and emotional well-being of women is critical for healthy pregnancy and birth outcomes. The Two Happy Hearts intervention is a personalized mind-body program coached by community health workers that includes monitoring and reflecting on personal health, as well as practicing stress management strategies such as mindful breathing and movement. Objective The aims of this study are to (1) test the daily use of a wearable device to objectively measure physical and emotional well-being along with subjective assessments during pregnancy, and (2) explore the user’s engagement with the Two Happy Hearts intervention prototype, as well as understand their experiences with various intervention components. Methods A case study with a mixed design was used. We recruited a 29-year-old woman at 33 weeks of gestation with a singleton pregnancy. She had no medical complications or physical restrictions, and she was enrolled in the Medi-Cal public health insurance plan. The participant engaged in the Two Happy Hearts intervention prototype from her third trimester until delivery. The Oura smart ring was used to continuously monitor objective physical and emotional states, such as resting heart rate, resting heart rate variability, sleep, and physical activity. In addition, the participant self-reported her physical and emotional health using the Two Happy Hearts mobile app–based 24-hour recall surveys (sleep quality and level of physical activity) and ecological momentary assessment (positive and negative emotions), as well as the Perceived Stress Scale, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Engagement with the Two Happy Hearts intervention was recorded via both the smart ring and phone app, and user experiences were collected via Research Electronic Data Capture satisfaction surveys. Objective data from the Oura ring and subjective data on physical and emotional health were described. Regression plots and Pearson correlations between the objective and subjective data were presented, and content analysis was performed for the qualitative data. Results Decreased resting heart rate was significantly correlated with increased heart rate variability (r=–0.92, P<.001). We found significant associations between self-reported responses and Oura ring measures: (1) positive emotions and heart rate variability (r=0.54, P<.001), (2) sleep quality and sleep score (r=0.52, P<.001), and (3) physical activity and step count (r=0.77, P<.001). In addition, deep sleep appeared to increase as light and rapid eye movement sleep decreased. The psychological measures of stress, depression, and anxiety appeared to decrease from baseline to post intervention. Furthermore, the participant had a high completion rate of the components of the Two Happy Hearts intervention prototype and shared several positive experiences, such as an increased self-efficacy and a normal delivery. Conclusions The Two Happy Hearts intervention prototype shows promise for potential use by underserved pregnant women.

show abstract

“…14 studies focused on "fear of childbirth" as an outcome (Abdollahi et al, 2020;Airo (Toivanen) et al, 2018;Amiri et al, 2019;Andaroon et al, 2017;Boryri et al, 2018;Boz et al, 2020;Firouzan et al, 2020;Haapio et al, 2017;Hildingsson et al, 2019;Irmak Vural & Aslan, 2019;Kacperczyk-Bartnik et al, 2019;Karabulut et al, 2016;Klabbers et al, 2019;Kordi et al, 2017;Larsson et al, in press;Mary et al, 2017;Munkhondya et al, 2020;Narita et al, 2018;Nieminen et al, 2016;Rahmani et al, 2019;Rondung et al, 2018;Rouhe et al, 2015b;Shahsavan et al, 2020;Swift et al, in press;Uçar & Golbasi, 2019).…”

Section: Outcome Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Boryri et al (2018) and Khojasteh et al (2016) studied the effect of guided imagery on FOC and pregnancy related anxiety and found a significant decrease of fear of delivery on anxiety though guided imagery. Narita et al (2018) studied the effect of a heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback intervention on fear of childbirth and found that FOC was significantly reduced in women who performed HRV biofeedback. Contrary to this result, van der Zwan et al ( 2019), who studied a heart rate variability (HRV)-biofeedback intervention combined with a stress-reducing intervention, did not find significant long-term improvements in the HRV-biofeedback condition.…”

Section: Categories Of Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic Review on the Efficacy of Interventions for Fear of Childbirth, Anxiety and Fear in Pregnant Women

Birner¹,

Große²

2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Fears and anxieties during pregnancy and childbirth are a frequent phenomenon and can have negative consequences on wellbeing, psychological health and birth outcomes. Therefore, it is important to focus on the interventions to reduce those fears and anxieties during pregnancy and childbirth. A systematic review was conducted to examine the current literature on psychological interventions to reduce anxieties and fears during pregnancy and childbirth. Scopus and PubMed were searched from 2015 up until December 2020 for relevant studies. Included were pregnant women, with no restriction on age ranges or parity. Entered in the review were quantitative studies, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non-randomized controlled trials as well as treatment evaluations. After reviewing titles, abstracts and studies, 72 studies were included in this review as they met the inclusion criteria. Standard methodological procedures for systematic reviews were used. The quality assessment of included articles was done by using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies (EPHPP). Results: The main results of this review concern the fear and anxiety reducing effects of psychoeducation, relaxation techniques, guided imagery, supportive care through a midwife, group discussion, “lifestyle based education”, writing therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy groups and stress intervention, individual structured psychotherapy, communication skills training, counseling approaches (except distraction techniques), a motivational interviewing psychotherapy, emotional freedom techniques, breathing awareness and different hypnotherapeutic techniques on different fears and anxieties during pregnancy and childbirth. For mindfulness-based interventions mixed results are found. The effect of an acceptance and commitment therapy, biofeedback interventions, a mind body intervention, mental health training courses, the group intervention Nyytti® as well as cognitive analytic therapy is unclear, due to weak ratings. Antenatal class attendance reduced delivery fear significantly only in first time mothers. An internet-based problem-solving treatment did not reduce anxiety during pregnancy. Conclusion: A broad range of interventions show positive effects on fear of childbirth and fear and anxiety in pregnancy. Further research should address other acknowledged psychotherapeutic practices, like psycho-dynamic as well as systemic interventions, as they are underrepresented within this review. Furthermore , there is a need for manualized therapeutic interventions, with regards to a combination of effective intervention components.

show abstract

Resting Heart Rate Variability and the Effects of Biofeedback Intervention in Women with Low-Risk Pregnancy and Prenatal Childbirth Fear

Cited by 16 publications

References 48 publications

Interventions to treat fear of childbirth in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Interventions to treat fear of childbirth in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

A Technology-Based Pregnancy Health and Wellness Intervention (Two Happy Hearts): Case Study

Systematic Review on the Efficacy of Interventions for Fear of Childbirth, Anxiety and Fear in Pregnant Women

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About