The effect of stress ball application on anxiety and fetal well-being during non-stress testing in high-risk pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial

English (OpenAlex)

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of stress ball use during the non-stress test (NST) on anxiety and fetal well-being in high-risk pregnant women. METHOD: A randomized controlled pretest-posttest study was conducted with 86 high-risk pregnant women undergoing NST in a public hospital in northern Türkiye. Participants were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 43) and control (n = 43) groups. The intervention group used a stress ball during the NST procedure, while the control group received routine care. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the State Anxiety Inventory (SAI), and a Fetal Well-Being Assessment Form. Statistical analyses included t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, Chi-square tests, Wilcoxon tests, and two-way ANCOVA. RESULTS: The intervention group had significantly lower posttest anxiety scores (35.56 ± 6.55) than the control group (40.05 ± 6.82) (p = 0.003), with a significant within-group decrease of 9.49 points (p = 0.000). Moreover, fetal movement count and basal fetal heart rate increased significantly in the intervention group compared with the control group (p = 0.002 and p = 0.005, respectively). These changes were also significant within the intervention group (p = 0.000). CONCLUSION: Stress ball use during NST may be associated with short-term improvements in fetal well-being indicators and maternal anxiety. It is recommended as a simple, low-cost, noninvasive, and drug-free intervention in prenatal care. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT06302010 (Registration Date: 02.10.2024).