Ethical consideration
Ethical approval was obtained from Gonabad University of
Medical Sciences Research Committee. So, the participants
were given written and oral information about the study.
They were anonymous. All of them participated willingly
and voluntarily in this study. All the participants were
informed of the study objectives and how to perform it.
Design and participants
The study was a pre–post experimental design with a control
group and was conducted during October 2012–January
2013. The participants were 230 volunteer pregnant women
attending health service centres of Gonabad city in east north
of Iran. The participants were randomly divided into control
and case groups. Study inclusion criteria were gestational age
of 28–30 weeks, literacy, no history of depression or psychological
disorders, healthy foetus confirmed by ultrasound and
residence in Gonabad. Exclusion criteria were incomplete
each of the questionnaires that could not be summed up andanalysed, declining to participate, preterm birth during intervention,
severe physical–psychological stress (e.g. hospitalisation,
undergoing surgery, death of relatives, serious physical
and psychological problems) during the last year.