Correlation between the fear related to childbirth and the social support in pregnant women

Abstract

Objective To investigate correlation between the fear related to childbirth and the social support in pregnant women in order to provide evidence for clinical intervention. Methods A total of 351 pregnant women from 2 hospitals were recruited from July to December, 2014 in city of Guangzhou. They were investigated with the self-designed questionnaire of general conditions measurement, the childbirth Attitudes Questionnaires and the perceived Social Support Scale. Results The total scores of the fear related to childbirth and the social support in pregnant women were 32.29±6.25 and 46.59±7.13, respectively. Scores of the total scale and the factors of the fear related to childbirth and the social support were negatively correlated (r=-0.798- -0.134, P < 0.05). Conclusions Negative correlation exists between the fear related to childbirth and the childbirth self-efficacy in pregnant women. To reduce the fear related to childbirth, their families should be encouraged to provide more support for pregnant women. Key words: Pregnant women; Social support; Fear related to childbirth