BACKGROUND:
Traumatic childbirth perception can negatively affect the birth experience and lead to psychological difficulties during the transition to motherhood.

OBJECTIVES:
This study aimed to examine the effect of structured education provided to pregnant women on traumatic childbirth perception and to explore the relationship between e-health literacy and this process.

METHODS:
This randomized controlled trial (Clinical Trial Registration: NCT06637735) was conducted in a city in the Western Black Sea region of Türkiye. Pregnant women with high levels of traumatic childbirth perception were recruited face-to-face. Data were collected using the Pregnant Women’s Introductory Information Form, the Traumatic Childbirth Perception Scale, and the E-Health Literacy Scale for Pregnant Women. Analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Version 25 and DataBeeg 1.0. Chi-square tests, repeated measures ANOVA, and independent samples t-tests were applied. A p-value <.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS:
A significant decrease in traumatic childbirth perception scores was found in the intervention group at both post-test and follow-up (p < 0.05), while no significant change occurred in the control group (p > 0.05). The group × time interaction was significant (p < 0.05) with a large effect size (η² = 0.794). Post-hoc analyses confirmed significant score reductions in the intervention group. No significant differences in e-health literacy scores were found between or within groups over time (p > 0.05). However, at baseline, traumatic childbirth perception scores were positively correlated with total e-health literacy scores (r = 0.449, p < 0.05), and subscales "Access and Use of Information" (r = 0.488) and "Information Security and Awareness" (r = 0.374). These correlations were not significant at follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS:
Structured prenatal education significantly reduces traumatic childbirth perception. Although e-health literacy scores did not increase, early correlations suggest a potential role in supporting information-seeking behavior.

KEY MESSAGE:
Structured prenatal education can reduce traumatic birth perception and promote informed engagement during pregnancy. Mental health (Including three-minute presentation competition)