The Effect of Psychological Interventions on the Anxiety and Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Roghaiyeh  Nourizadeh; Shiva  Shamsdanesh; Esmat  Mehrabi; Fatemeh  Ranjbar; Sevil  Hakimi; Hanieh Salehi  Pourmehr

doi:10.18502/ijph.v52i5.12710

Roghaiyeh Nourizadeh Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Shiva Shamsdanesh Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Esmat Mehrabi Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Fatemeh Ranjbar Research Center of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Sevil Hakimi Research Center of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Hanieh Salehi Pourmehr Research Center for Evidence Based Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v52i5.12710

Keywords: Anxiety; Breastfeeding self-efficacy; Exclusive breastfeeding; Psychological interventions

Abstract

Background: Maternal anxiety has been accompanied by many unfavorable effects on breastfeeding in the postpartum period. We aimed to provide scientific evidence in identifying effective interventions for anxiety and breastfeeding self-efficacy (BSE) in a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: All published studies with inclusion criteria by 2022 were searched in Embase, Cochrane library, Web of Sciences, Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, SID and Magiran. The literature search was performed using PRISMA instructions. Further, 20 eligible interventional studies (RCT and pre-posttest) and one case study were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Publication bias was checked with Eggers test and funnel plot methods. The collected data were analyzed using stata version16.

Results: It is not possible to provide an explicit and accurate conclusion about the effective intervention method in reducing anxiety and increasing BSE among lactating women during the covid19 pandemic. The results indicated a significant increase in BSE among lactating women after educational and psychological interventions (4.20, 95% CI: 3.61 to 4.80, I² = 26.38%).

Conclusion: It is recommended to conduct further studies with a strong methodology and based on intervention methods during the postpartum period, especially in the first month of birth to reduce the symptoms of stress and anxiety in the mother, establish better mother-child attachment, and improve BSE and maternal performance during the Covid-19 pandemic.