The effectiveness of emotion regulation group training in improving quality of life and mitigating emotion regulation difficulties of women during pregnancy

Introduction: While pregnancy and childbirth can be considered as a natural bodily function for women, it is still an experience that increases their vulnerability to a variety of physical and psychological problems. Therefore, it seems necessary to improve their quality of life and mental health. Aim: The present study was conducted in order to evaluate the effectiveness of emotion regulation group training for improving the quality of life and mitigating emotion regulation difficulties of pregnant women. Method: The current study is a quasi-experimental random study with a pretest-posttest and follow-up design. The statistical population of the study includes all pregnant women in Tehran in 2018, and the sample includes 39 pregnant women, selected based on a targeted sampling method. The Short-Form Quality of Life questionnaire and the Difficulties of Emotion Regulation Scale were used. The emotion regulation group training was administered to the intervention group in 8 sessions. The results were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA in SPSS-24 software application. Results: The data analysis indicated that the mean scores of quality of life in the intervention group (M = 58.13) increased compared to the control group (M = 38.25). Moreover, the mean scores of DERS in the intervention group in the post-test stage (M = 77.33) significantly decreased at the 0.001 level compared to the pre-test stage (M = 92.87) and the follow-up period (M = 72.27). Conclusion: Emotion regulation group training can be effective for improving the quality of life of pregnant women and mitigating their emotion regulation difficulties.