Empowering Pregnant Women Through Deep Breathing Relaxation Education for Anxiety Self-Management

Abstract

Background: Anxiety during pregnancy may increase when women experience uncertainty regarding maternal and fetal health, pregnancy complications, or childbirth. Deep breathing relaxation is a simple non-pharmacological technique that can be taught to pregnant women to support anxiety self-management.
Objectives: This community service program aimed to improve pregnant women’s knowledge and practical skills in applying deep breathing relaxation and to reduce anxiety levels.
Methods: The program involved 30 pregnant women and consisted of health education, demonstration, guided practice, return-demonstration, feedback, and post-program evaluation. Participants received education on anxiety recognition, relaxation principles, and step-by-step deep breathing techniques. Evaluation included pre-test and post-test knowledge assessments, a practical skills checklist, and a 0–10 anxiety self-rating scale.
Results: The mean knowledge score increased from 55.3 to 86.7. The proportion of participants correctly performing deep breathing increased from 36.7% to 90.0%. Mean anxiety scores decreased from 6.2 to 3.1 after the program. Participants also demonstrated improved ability to recognize anxiety and independently apply deep breathing relaxation.
Conclusions: Structured education and guided deep breathing practice improved participants’ knowledge and practical skills and was accompanied by lower anxiety scores. Deep breathing relaxation may be incorporated as a complementary strategy in maternal health education.