The effect of guided imagery practice on pregnancy stress and sleep quality in risky pregnant women

ABSTRACT The Effect of Guided Imagery Practice on Pregnancy Stress and Sleep Quality in Risky Pregnant Women This study was conducted as a randomised controlled interventional study to determine the effect of guided imagery practice on pregnancy stress and sleep quality in risky pregnant women. The study included 48 pregnant women (24 intervention and 24 control) who were hospitalised with a diagnosis of risky pregnancy in the obstetrics and gynaecology department of a state hospital in a province in southern Turkey and who met the sample selection criteria. The pregnant women included in the study were interviewed for 5 days. The scales were filled in on the 1st, 3rd, 5th day of the interview. Pregnant women in the intervention group were shown guided imagery video. Data were collected using Personal Information Form, GSDÖ-36 Scale, Richard-Campbell Sleep Scale. Descriptive statistics, frequency tables, Independent Sample-t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used in the evaluation of the data. There was no statistically significant difference between the mean total scores of GSDS-36 according to the interview times (1st, 3rd, 5th) of the pregnant women in the intervention and control groups (p=0.727; p=0.564; p=0.445). There was no statistically significant difference between the day 1 and day 3 Richard Campbell Sleep Scale scores of the pregnant women according to the groups (p=0.795; p=0.513). According to the time of the interview, it was found that the Richard Campbell Sleep Scale scores of the pregnant women in the intervention group on the 5th day were statistically significantly higher (p=0.001). In the study, it was found that the guided imagery intervention applied to hospitalised high-risk pregnant women was not effective on pregnancy stress, but it was an effective method to improve sleep quality. In line with this result, it may be recommended to use guided imagery intervention to improve the sleep quality of hospitalised pregnant women with sleep problems. Keywords: Risky pregnancy, Pregnancy Stress, Sleep in Pregnancy, Guided Imagery Practice