Mindfulness-Based Postpartum Discharge Education on Maternal Role and Anxiety

The Effects of Mindfulness-Based Postpartum Discharge Education on Mothers' Maternal Role Perception and Anxiety Levels

This study will be conducted as a quasi-experimental research with a pretest-posttest control group design at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University Research and Practice Hospital, aiming to evaluate the effects of mindfulness-based postpartum discharge education on mothers' maternal role perception and anxiety levels. The sample will consist of 84 postpartum women (42 in the experimental group and 42 in the control group) who meet the inclusion criteria, determined through G*Power analysis. Stratified randomization will be used for group allocation. Data will be collected using a Personal Information Form, the Maternal Role Perception Scale, and the Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale. Within the first 24 hours postpartum (baseline/pretest), the experimental group will receive a 60-minute individual "Mindfulness-Based Postpartum Education Program" administered by the researcher in addition to routine discharge care, while the control group will receive only standard hospital discharge education. One week after the education, a second measurement will be applied to both groups. Subsequently, the experimental group will be systematically followed up for one month via WhatsApp with weekly reminder messages and monitoring charts. At the end of the first postpartum month (30th day), the final posttest measurements will be completed. The effects of the education over repeated time points will be analyzed using SPSS 22.0 software with descriptive statistics, parametric tests (Independent/Paired Sample t-test, repeated measures Two-Way ANOVA, Pearson correlation), and non-parametric tests (Mann Whitney U, Wilcoxon, Spearman correlation) at a significance level of 0.05.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Mothers aged 18 and older who voluntarily agree to participate in the study
• Mothers who have had a healthy singleton birth
• Mothers who are in the postpartum ward within the first 24 hours after delivery
• Mothers living in the same home environment with their baby
• Mothers who can read and understand Turkish and fully complete the questionnaires
• Mothers who can use mobile communication tools (e.g., WhatsApp)
• Mothers whose health status is suitable to participate in the education process

Exclusion Criteria:

• Mothers with serious physical or psychiatric illnesses in the postpartum period
• Mothers whose newborns are admitted to the intensive care unit or have serious health problems
• Mothers who have previously participated in a mindfulness-based education or therapy program
• Mothers who cannot participate regularly in the education process or maintain communication during the follow-up period
• Mothers who incompletely fill out the questionnaires or do not participate in the post-test phase