Effect of Guided Imagery on Increasing the
Psychological Well-Being of Pregnant Teenagers
Carlie Bohrman,OTS, Karla Ausderau, PhD, OTR/L
Occupational Therapy Program, Department of Kinesiology
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Introduction
•
•
In 2011, the teenage birth rate for ages 15 to 19 years old
in the United States was 31.3 births per 1000 girls1
Pregnant adolescents have an increased risk for low selfesteem, depression, and socioeconomic struggles2, 3
•
Guided Imagery (GI) uses a calming voice and sounds
such as background music to focus and direct the mind
•
GI can positively impact pregnancy and childbirth
experiences4
Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of guided imagery
on the well-being of pregnant adolescents
Hypothesis: The well-being of pregnant adolescents will
Conclusion
Results
Descriptive Statistics and t-test Results for Well-Being on the RPWB
(N=17)
Autonomy
Environmental mastery
Personal growth
Positive relations with others
Purpose in life
Self-acceptance
Total
Before GI
M
SD
38.35
7.55
36.35
5.68
38.06
6.09
39.76
6.54
40.29
5.48
37.47
5.97
230.29 24.03
After GI
M
SD
t
Sig
36.88
7.83
37.65
6.37
38.18
6.65
40.35
4.94
40.88
5.82
38.82
7.12
232.76 24.99
.67
-.57
-.10
-.53
-.41
-.77
-.35
.52
.58
.93
.60
.69
.45
.74
95% CI for
Mean
Difference
-3.21, 6.16
-6.08, 3.49
-2.74, 2.50
-2.94, 1.76
-3.67, 2.49
-5.06, 2.35
-17.65,12.71
• No significant increase in RPWB total posttest scores
• No significant differences were noted between pretest and posttest
scores in the dimensions
improve following guided imagery sessions, as compared to
before guided imagery sessions
• Four guided imagery sessions did not alter well-being
scores on average for pregnant adolescents as measured
by the RPWB
• Personal Growth and Positive Relations with Others were
significantly stable over time
• RPWB may not be sensitive enough to assess change in
participants’ well-being during the brief intervention protocol
• Program supports may have already been influencing the
well-being of participants
• A stronger research design may be necessary with a bigger
sample size or an increase in intervention intensity
• A direct effect was not seen but there may be other indirect
effects that were related to well-being such as reduced
stress
Pearson Product Moment Correlations :
Pre and Posttest RPWB Scores
Research Design and Methods
Design: Quasi-experimental 1 group pretest-posttest within
subjects design
Participants: Pregnant adolescents from a local school
program
• 14-19 years old (M = 16.5)
• 17 of 22 participants completed all 4 GI listening sessions
within 4 to 6 weeks
Autonomy
Environmental mastery
Personal growth
Positive relations with others
Purpose in life
Self-acceptance
Total
Correlation
.30
-.19
.68*
.72*
.44
.40
.28
Sig
.24
.46
.003
.001
.08
.12
.29
• Personal growth
and Positive
Relations were
stable over time
• Purpose in Life
approached
significance
For Total: *p < .05
For Dimensions: *p < .008
Measure: Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-Being (RPWB)
• Consists of six 9-item scales of psychological well-being
constructed to measure specific dimensions
Pre and Post Test Well-Being Scores after Guided Imagery
Implications for Practice
• Guided imagery is a safe intervention to use with the
population of pregnant women
• Occupational therapists can integrate the use of GI
techniques into their clients’ daily routines and rituals to
reduce stress and promote wellness
• Although the short term intervention of GI did not significantly
improve well-being for pregnant adolescents, occupational
therapists can still educate and encourage healthy lifestyle
choices that can positively impact well-being through other
means
References
1. Hamilton, B. E., Hoyert, D.L., Martin, J.A., Strobino D.M., & Guyer, B. (2013). Annual summary of vital statistics: 2010-2011. Official
Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, 131(3), 548-558. doi: 10.1542/peds.2012-3769
2. Hudson, D., Elek, S., & Cambell-Grossman C. (2000). Depression, self-esteem, loneliness, and social support among adolescent mothers
participating in the new parents project. Adolescence, 35(139), 445-453.
3. Cox, J., Buman, M., Valenzuela J., Pierre, J., Mitchell, A., & Woods E. (2008). Depression, parenting attributes and social support among
teen mothers attending a teen tot program. Journal of Pediatric Adolescent Gynecology, 21(5), 275-281.
4. Naparstek, B. (2007). Guided imagery: A best practice for pregnancy and childbirth. International Journal of Childbirth Education, 22(3),
4-8.
Acknowledgements
Data Analysis
• Paired samples t-test compared mean scores between
participants’ pre and post intervention measures on the
RPWB
• There was a high level of variability among participants for
total scores on the RPWB
A special thank you to my research mentors, Dr. Karla Ausderau and
Dr. Martha McCurdy for their assistance and guidance. A big thank you
to the students and staff of SAPAR, Dr. Mary Schneider, and my
student research team: Lindsay Brooks, Brittney Jones, and Leanna
Linzell. This project was funded by the Gertrude E. Gaston Fund