The effect of mindfulness training on resilience and decision-making strategy in women with unwanted pregnancy (a quasi-experimental study).
Zahra Alikhani Faradonbe, Monireh Toosi, Parvin Ghaemmaghami, Azar Nematollahi
BMC Psychology December 23, 2025 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-025-03864-w (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 64 |
| Population | Women with unwanted pregnancy attending 6 comprehensive health centers in Shiraz |
| Measures | Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, questionnaire on women's decision-making strategies regarding abortion or continuation of unwanted pregnancy |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Pregnancy, unplanned Female Resilience, psychological Young adult Unwanted pregnancy |
| Key findings | Mindfulness training delivered via mobile application was associated with higher resilience scores (intervention mean 59.78 vs control 42.15 after the intervention) and lower decision-making-for-abortion scores (intervention 54.06 vs control 70.21) among women with unwanted pregnancy, with a significant inverse relationship between resilience and decision-making scores. The authors conclude that mindfulness training may positively affect decision-making for couples not inclined to continue an unintended pregnancy. |
Abstract
Background: Unplanned pregnancy, as a stressful event, affects women`s mental health and leads to an increase in abortion attempts. This study was conducted to determine the effect of mindfulness training on resilience and decision-making strategy in women with unwanted pregnancy.
Method: The present study is a quasi-experimental study. Eligible samples were randomly divided into two groups: experimental (n = 32) and control groups (n = 32) after selection from 6 comprehensive health centers in Shiraz. Data collection tools included a questionnaire on demographic and fertility characteristics, a questionnaire on women’s decision-making strategies regarding abortion or continuation of unwanted pregnancy, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. After the pre-test, the mindfulness technique training program was administered to the experimental group via mobile application designed by researcher. The control group received routine care. Independent t-test, paired t-tests and Pearson correlation, were used to analyze the data with SPSS version 25 and significance level was set at P < 0.05.
Results: The results showed that there was no significant difference between the mean score of resilience (intervention: 44.28 ± 8.45, control: 43.68 ± 8.26), dimensions of resilience, mean score of decision-making (intervention: 68.25 ± 10.28, control: 69.31 ± 10.51,), and dimensions of decision-making before the intervention between the two groups, but after the intervention, this difference became significant in all the mentioned variables: mean scores of resilience (intervention: 59.78 ± 9.16, control: 42.15 ± 6.34, p < 0.001) and mean scores of decision-making (intervention: 54.06 ± 8.47, control: 70.21 ± 10.64, p < 0.001). Also, a significant inverse relationship was observed between the score of resilience and the score of decision-making (p < 0.001), in a way that with increasing resilience (mean difference in intervention:15.5 ± 3.9), the decision-making for abortion decreased (mean difference in intervention: -14.18 ± 4.86).
Conclusion: Utilizing a mindfulness training strategy for couples with unintended pregnancies who are not inclined to continue the pregnancy can have a positive effect on their decision-making. Therefore, conducting this study in different communities with varying cultures and customs, as well as larger samples in future studies for a better comparison of the results obtained is recommended.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cites 4
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- A Review of Mindfulness Improves Decision Making and Future Prospects Psychology 2018
- Mindfulness and decision-making for teachers—the mediating role of self-esteem and the moderating role of experience Frontiers in Education January 22, 2025
- Effects of Mindfulness on Psychological Health: A Review of Empirical Studies Clinical Psychology Review May 13, 2011