An Investigation of the Relationship between Health Literacy Levels of Pregnant Women and Their Perceptions of Traumatic Childbirth

Abstract

ABSTRACT The researchers aimed to investigate the relationship between the health literacy levels of pregnant women and their perceptions of traumatic childbirth. The sample consisted of 384 pregnant women. The data were collected using the ‘Pregnancy Information Form”, the “Health Literacy–32 Scale,” and the “Traumatic Birth Perception Scale.” Health literacy levels of pregnant women were found to be inadequate (44%) and limited (43.5%). 56.8% of pregnant women had moderate, and 27.1% had a high perception of traumatic birth. A negative correlation was determined between the total score and sub-dimensions of the Health Literacy Scale of pregnant women (i.e. access to health information, understanding health information, protection from diseases, and health promotion) and their perceptions of traumatic birth (p < .001).