438
Views
27
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

The effect of a prenatal hypnotherapeutic programme on postnatal maternal psychological well‐being

, &
Pages 163-177 | Received 03 Oct 2004, Accepted 01 Jun 2005, Published online: 23 Jan 2007
 

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of a prenatal hypnotherapeutic programme on the postnatal psychological well‐being of first‐time mothers. The developed programme integrated principles from developmental psychology, Ericksonian and ego state therapy, and from positive psychology. Results indicated that the experimental group (n = 23) showed a significant improvement on most measures of psychological well‐being at two weeks postpartum, while the psychological well‐being of the comparison group (n = 23) remained unchanged. At ten weeks postpartum mothers in the experimental group showed significantly less general symptoms of psychopathology and less depression. These results suggest that the hypnotherapeutic programme focussing on the enhancement of strengths contributed to the enhancement of psychological well‐being and alleviation of depression of first‐time mothers.

Notes

1. This article is based on a doctoral thesis of the first author, completed at North‐West University, Potchefstroom Campus, under supervision of the second and third authors.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.