The effects of individual cognitive behavior therapy on nausea and vomiting of pregnancy: a quasi-experimental study

Abstract Background and Purpose Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) is the third leading cause of hospitalization among pregnant women. It is caused by both biological and psychological factors. The present study aimed to examine the effects of the individual cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) on NVP. Materials and Methods This two-group quasi-experimental study was included 52 pregnant women with moderate to severe NVP. Participants were consecutively recruited and allocated to intervention and comparison group (26 in each group). Participants in the intervention groups received the ICBT in six sessions (in addition usual prenatal care), while those in the comparison group just received usual prenatal care. NVP was assessed before, immediately after, and one, two, three, and four weeks after the intervention. Data were collected via a socio-demographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire, the Pregnancy-Unique Quantification of Emesis/Nausea scale, the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale. The Chi-square, the independent-sample t, and the Mann-Whitney U tests as well as the generalized estimating equations were used, at a significance level of less than 0.05. Results Compared to the comparison group, the ICBT group showed significant reductions in the number of vomiting episodes immediately and 1,2,3,4 weeks after intervention. For the nausea duration and number of retching episodes, the ICBT and comparison group showed significant time-group interactions, but generalized estimating equations testing revealed no significant group differences at before mentioned times. Conclusion Further investigation with a randomized control group may have some implications towards integration of psychological interventions into routine prenatal care.