Investigating the Effect of Fordyce Happiness Cognitive-Behavioral Training on Perceived Stress and Happiness in Pregnant Females: Applying the Self-Efficacy Theory

Background: Pregnancy is a stressful period in a woman’s life and can lead to undesirable outcomes both in the mother and fetus; therefore, more attention should be paid to improve the mental health of pregnant females. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Fordyce Happiness Cognitive-Behavioral training based on self-efficacy on perceived stress and happiness in pregnant females. Methods: This randomized clinical controlled trial with a pretest-posttest design was performed on 100 pregnant females, who were randomly assigned to two groups, training and control, in Gerash, Fars, Iran (2016). Fordyce Happiness Cognitive-Behavioral training based on self-efficacy was done in the intervention group and there was no intervention for the control group. The data was collected by applying the demographic questionnaire, Oxford Happiness Inventory (OHI), and Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSS-14) in two stages, before and after the intervention. The P< was 0.05 and was considered as significant. Results: The results showed significant differences in the median scores of happiness and perceived stress in the experimental group before and after the intervention (P < 0.05). In other words, the median score of happiness increased (124 (19.25) and 141 (16.5); P < 0.001) while the stress score decreased (30.5 (7) and 22.5 (9); P < 0.001). In contrast, this research found a decrease in the happiness median score (123 (40) and 117.5 (32); P < 0.001) and increase in perceived stress scores (30 (7.25) and 33 (9.25); P = 0.009) in the control group at the end of the study, which was significant in comparison with the pre-intervention measurements (P < 0.05). In addition, an inverse relationship was revealed between stress and happiness (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Appropriate educational interventions based on theories are recommended to increase mother’s happiness and decrease their stress during pregnancy.