the effect of education regarding non-stress test (nst) on the levels of anxiety among pregnant women: a quasi-experimental controlled study

Background & aim: non-stress test (nst) is a procedure that can cause anxiety in pregnant women. no studies were found to address the effect of education regarding nst on levels of anxiety. this study aimed to investigate the effect of education regarding non-stress test on the levels of anxiety among pregnant women. methods: this quasi-experimental controlled trial was carried out on 208 pregnant women who visited the non-stress test clinic of aydın maternity and pediatrics hospital, aydın, turkey between july 2020 and 2021 by convenience sampling. the demographic questionnaire and state-trait anxiety inventory were used to collect data. during the study, the pregnant women in the educational group were educated using the “non-stress test education booklet for pregnant women” prepared by the researchers before the non-stress test procedure. data were analysed using spss software (version 18) by chi-square, independent t-test and pearson correlation. results: there was no significant difference in the mean scores of anxiety in the education and control groups before intervention. after the education, the state anxiety levels of the pregnant women in the education group were found to be significantly lower (p<0.05). however, the mean trait anxiety scores in the education group were lower than in the control group, but the difference was insignificant (p>0.05). conclusion: in the present study, state anxiety levels decreased in the education group post-education. both groups exhibited mild anxiety before and after education, while trait anxiety levels remained similar post-education.