Effects of the Presence of the Doula on Pregnant Women's Anxiety and Pain During Delivery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background & Objective: Based on the cultural and structural boundaries in Iran in terms of the presence of doulas through the delivery, the importance of making the delivery more desirable for mothers, and since few important studies have been conducted on this topic in Iran, this study evaluated the effects of the presence of a doula on anxiety and pain in pregnant women during delivery. Materials & Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 80 pregnant women referred to Ayatollah Musavi Hospital (Zanjan, Iran) in 2016. For women in the intervention group, the doula provided emotional and physical support. The motherschr('39') pain severity and anxiety were measured by using a visual analog scale (VAS) and Spielberger questionnaire, respectively. Categorical and continuous variables were compared using chi-square and t tests, respectively. Results: We found that a higher proportion of patients had experienced mild anxiety about entering the postpartum period (47.5% vs 15%) and exiting it (80% vs 40%; P<0.05) compared to the control group. Also, the mean VAS score was significantly higher in the control group at 4-5 cm (86.5±11.39 vs 78.62±14.0; P=0.007) and 7-8 cm of cervical dilatation (99.0±4.41 vs 95.0±8.47; P=0.01) stages. Conclusion: The presence of a trained doula during labor can ease the mental consequences of delivery and decrease womenchr('39')s anxiety and pain during labor.