Research on EFT for Pregnancy and Mums

This area represents the clinical research conducted on Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) for pregnancy and mums. Explore by title below. Where the paper is available free of charge in an open access journal, you can download it and use freely (on website, social media, newsletters). If it is behind a pay wall, you can freely share the abstract and reference but cannot share the full article, due to copyright.

Emotional Freedom Techniques and Oxytocin Stimulation Massages that Effectively Reduce Anxiety and Increase Smooth Breast Milk Production of Nursing Mothers

Abstract

Introduction: Maternal anxiety is potentially increased by postpartum psychological changes and the perceived inability to breastfeed effectively. The increase in adrenaline levels could further reduce the resistance and trust of mothers, inhibiting oxytocin and the ability of prolactin to secrete and create milk.

Objectives: Therefore, this research aimed to determine the effectiveness of Oxytocin Stimulation Massage (OSM) and Emotional Freedom Therapy (EFT) in reducing anxiety and increasing smooth breast milk production.

Methods: The quantitative method was used with a control group to assess the effects of intervention and investigate the relationship between anxiety and the smooth breast milk production of nursing mothers in Public Health Centers, Tasikmalaya.

Results: The results showed a difference in average anxiety scores of the nursing mothers before and after the therapy. The intervention group had a lower score of 1.19 compared to the control group, r = 0.432 (r > 0.05). Furthermore, there was a difference in the average smooth breast milk production before and after the therapy, with the intervention group having a lower score of 8.3 compared to the control group of r = 0.129 (r> 0.05). This research showed that the intervention group had a negative and weak correlation between anxiety and smooth breast milk production after the therapy, with a Pearson correlation of -0.037, R-count, and R-count < R-table at a significance value of 0.854. Finally, EFT was effectively applied to reduce the anxiety of nursing mothers (Cohen's D value = 1.76) and increase smooth breast milk production (Cohen's D value = 1.51).

Conclusion: The study highlights the effectiveness of Oxytocin Stimulation Massage (OSM) and Emotional Freedom Therapy (EFT) in reducing maternal anxiety and enhancing smooth breast milk production. Although the correlation between anxiety reduction and milk production was weak, EFT notably reduced anxiety and improved lactation. These therapies show promises for supporting postpartum mothers and could be further developed into accessible, therapeutic applications for maternal care.

Citation (APA Style): Kartilah, T., & Februanti, S. (2024). Emotional Freedom Techniques and oxytocin stimulation massages that effectively reduce anxiety and increase smooth breast milk production of nursing mothers. The Malaysian Journal of Nursing, 16(02), 46–53. https://doi.org/10.31674/mjn.2024.v16i02.005

Direct link: https://ejournal.lucp.net/index.php/mjn/article/view/2380/3301

Supporting, Teaching and Empowering Parents: A Teacher's Manual on Psychosocial Interventions for Elementary School-Aged Students and Parents During Disasters and Emergency Situations

The Effects of Emotional Freedom Techniques Implemented During Early Pregnancy on Nausea-Vomiting Severity and Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Objective: This randomized controlled trial investigated the effect of emotional freedom techniques (EFT) on the severity of nausea-vomiting and anxiety in early pregnancy.

Design: The sample consisted of 131 pregnant women in the experimental and control groups between 6 and 16 weeks of pregnancy attending an antenatal clinic. Participants were randomly assigned to receive training on EFT or a control group. Data were collected using a personal information form, subjective experiences, the Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire, and the Pregnancy-Unique Quantification of Emesis. Both groups attended two visits, a week apart. The participants in the EFT group received a session of EFT at each visit and completed two EFT sessions as home assignments, 2 and 4 days after the first visit. The participants in the control group attended two visits a week apart and completed assessments but did not receive EFT.

Results: There were 55 women in each group who completed the study, and the groups were similar in terms of baseline measures, including socioeconomic status, smoking status, previous pregnancy, severity of nausea-vomiting, and total pregnancy-related anxiety. EFT significantly reduced anxiety levels from the baseline to the second session (fear of delivery, worries about bearing a handicapped child, concern about one's own appearance) and total pregnancy-related anxiety (total pretest 29.85 ± 9.87, post-test 20.67 ± 8.38; p < 0.001), while the control group showed no reduction in pregnancy-related anxiety (total pretest 26.1 ± 7.79, post-test 25.98 ± 8.49; p = 0.933). Although nausea-vomiting was reduced in both groups over the two-session period, at the end of treatment, the EFT group had significantly lower nausea intensity (EFT group 4.4 ± 1.81, control group 5.36 ± 2.48; p = 0.02).

Conclusions: EFT is a nonpharmacologic intervention that can be effective in reducing nausea, vomiting, and anxiety in early pregnancy.

Citation (APA Style): Güven Santur, S., & Özşahin, Z. (2024). The Effects of Emotional Freedom Techniques Implemented During Early Pregnancy on Nausea-Vomiting Severity and Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of integrative and complementary medicine, 30(9), 858–868. https://doi.org/10.1089/jicm.2023.0586

Direct link: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/jicm.2023.0586

Effect of Emotional Freedom Technique on the Fear of Childbirth in Iranian Primiparous Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Fear of childbirth is one of the main causes of women’s emotional difficulty experienced in the perinatal period, especially those having their first child.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of emotional freedom technique (EFT) on the fear of childbirth among primiparous women in Ahvaz, Iran.

Materials and methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 116 primiparous women. The participants were randomly divided into intervention (n = 58) or control (n = 58) groups. The intervention group received daily stimulation of certain points in their body for 12 weeks using EFT. The fear of childbirth was measured at the beginning of the study and 12 weeks after the intervention using the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (WDEQ-A) and at the first postpartum visit with WDEQ-B. Data were analyzed using independent t-test, paired t-test, Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).

Results: After intervention, the mean score of fear of childbirth in the intervention group decreased from 49.39 ± 8.21 to 40.42 ± 13.43 (p < 0.0001), while the same rate in the control group increased from 49.47 ± 9.06 to 52.09 ± 7.73 (p = 0.002). The mean score of fear of childbirth after delivery in the control group (45.88 ± 7.10) was higher than that in the intervention group (27.13 ± 5.08) (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, EFT can be considered as an effective method to reduce the fear of childbirth score in primiparous women.

Citation (APA Style): Emadi, S. F., Hekmat, K., Abedi, P., & Maraghi, E. (2024). Effect of emotional freedom technique on the fear of childbirth in Iranian primiparous women: a randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in psychology, 14, 1145229. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1145229

Direct link: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1145229/full

Emotional Freedom Techniques for Postpartum Depression, Perceived Stress, and Anxiety

Abstract

Objective: To examine the effect of an Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) group intervention on perceived stress, depression, and anxiety symptoms in women in the postpartum period.

Design: A one-group pre- and posttest quasi-experimental design.
Setting/Local Problem
Postpartum depression (PPD) and anxiety affect nearly one in five women in the first 12 months after childbirth. The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a significant worsening of symptoms of PPD, stress, and anxiety in this population. Mental health screening is the standard of care in perinatal settings. This practice has led to an increased rate of PPD and anxiety diagnoses and the need for evidence-based nonpharmacologic interventions to support mothers with PPD and anxiety.

Participants: Eleven mothers seeking care for lactation concerns who screened positive for PPD and anxiety symptoms.
Intervention/Measurements
A total of eight 1-hour group EFT sessions were offered to participants over a period of 4 weeks. During the group sessions, participants were taught how to perform the steps of EFT and apply it in a supportive group format. Measurement tools included the Subjective Unit of Distress Scale, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder–7. The preintervention and postintervention scores of these tools were compared using a paired-samples t test.

Results: After implementing EFT as a group intervention, we observed a reduction in mental health burden experienced by women in the postpartum period. There was a statistically significant decrease in depression (p = .003), anxiety (p <.001), and perceived stress (p <.001) scores 1 month after the EFT intervention.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that EFT may be a viable adjunctive intervention for managing depression, anxiety, and stress in the postpartum period. Further research with larger and more diverse samples is needed to confirm these findings.

Citation (APA Style): Robbins, N., Harvey, K., & Moller, M. D. (2024). Emotional Freedom Techniques for Postpartum Depression, Perceived Stress, and Anxiety. Nursing for women's health, 28(1), 41–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nwh.2023.09.005

Direct link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1751485123002477?via%3Dihub

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