Comparison of fear, anxiety and self-efficacy of childbirth among primiparous and multiparous women

Mojgan Mirghafourvand,Mina Iravani,Mohammad Asghari Jafarabadi,Aazam Shakarami,Somyieh Abdolalipour

doi:10.1186/s12884-021-04114-8

Abstract

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to compare fear of childbirth, state and trait anxiety, and childbirth self-efficacy among primiparous and multiparous women in Ahvaz, southwest of Iran.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted with 200 pregnant women (100 primiparous and 100 multiparous women) who had been admitted to the maternity ward of hospitals affiliated to Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. The instruments used for data collection in this study included a demographic questionnaire, Delivery Fear Scale (DFS), Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Childbirth Self-Efficacy Inventory (CBSEI). The data were analyzed by chi-square test and independent t-test. Also, the univariate general linear model was used by adjusting for the socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics that were considered as possible confounding variables.ResultsThe mean score of DFS in primiparous women was significantly higher than that of multiparous women. The mean of the overall score of childbirth self-efficacy of primiparous women was significantly lower than that of multiparous women. The mean score of the outcome expectancies and self-efficacy expectancies was significantly lower in primiparous women compared with multiparous women. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of the mean score of STAI. After adjusting for possible confounding variables, the differences between the two groups in terms of fear of childbirth scores, overall childbirth self-efficacy score and self-efficacy expectancies remained significant.ConclusionGiven the high fear of childbirth and low childbirth self-efficacy in primiparous women compared to the multiparous women, appropriate interventions should be adopted by health care providers in order to reduce fear and improve childbirth self-efficacy in primiparous women.

Highlights

The aim of this study was to compare fear of childbirth, state and trait anxiety, and childbirth self-efficacy among primiparous and multiparous women in Ahvaz, southwest of Iran
Multiparous women had higher scores in terms of total childbirth self-efficacy, self-efficacy expectancies, and outcome expectancies compared with primiparous women
There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the mean scores of state and trait anxiety

Summary

Introduction

The aim of this study was to compare fear of childbirth, state and trait anxiety, and childbirth self-efficacy among primiparous and multiparous women in Ahvaz, southwest of Iran. Fear of childbirth (FOC) affects about 7.6–8.8% of pregnancies [2, 3] and is more. In some studies, the fear of childbirth has been reported to be higher in multiparous women [6, 7]. Other factors associated with fear of childbirth include complications of previous pregnancies, education level, poor social network, female personality traits such as anxiety, low self-esteem or dissatisfaction with the husband, lack of social and emotional support, and physical and sexual abuse in childhood [7, 9, 10]. The FOC is associated with adverse maternal outcomes, including poor mental health in the postpartum period and a high frequency of cesarean sections [11, 12]

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