Objective To explore the impact of the PERMA model of positive psychology on parturients' fear of childbirth, overall well-being and satisfaction of nursing care.

Methods A total of 118 pregnant women with regular prenatal check-ups were selected as the research subjects, and divided into the observation group and control group (59 cases each group). The routine psychological counseling and health education were given in the control group. On the basis of control group, the observation group were implemented by mental health education based on the PERMA model twice a week, for 30 to 50 minutes each time, for 6 weeks.

Results After the intervention, the score of fear of childbirth in the observation group was significantly lower than that in control group (P ＜ 0.01), while the overall happiness score and nursing satisfaction were significantly higher than those in control group (P ＜ 0.01). The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the intervention measures (OR = 4.57, 95%CI: 2.17–9.63, P ＜ 0.01) and educational level (OR = 1.94, 95%CI: 1.28–2.92, P ＜ 0.05) were the independent predictors of nursing satisfaction.

Conclusions Positive mental health education based on the PERMA model helps reduce pregnant women's fear of childbirth, improve overall well-being and satisfaction with care.