Abstract
BackgroundThis population-based cohort study aimed to investigate the demographic and psychosocial characteristics associated with fear of childbirth and the relative importance of such fear as a predictor of elective caesarean section.MethodsA sample of 1789 women from the Akershus Birth Cohort in Norway provided data collected by three self-administered questionnaires at 17 and 32 weeks of pregnancy and 8 weeks postpartum. Information about the participants’ childbirths was obtained from the hospital records.ResultsEight percent of the women reported fear of delivery, defined as a score of ≥85 on the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire. Using multivariable logistic regression models, a previous negative overall birth experience exerted the strongest impact on fear of childbirth, followed by impaired mental health and poor social support. Fear of childbirth was strongly associated with a preference for elective caesarean section (aOR 4.6, 95 % CI 2.9–7.3) whereas the association of fear with performance of caesarean delivery was weaker (aOR 2.4, 95 % CI 1.2–4.9). The vast majority (87 %) of women with fear of childbirth did not, however, receive a caesarean section. By contrast, a previous negative overall birth experience was highly predictive of elective caesarean section (aOR 8.1, 95 % CI 3.9–16.7) and few women without such experiences did request caesarean section.ConclusionsResults suggest that women with fear of childbirth may have identifiable vulnerability characteristics, such as poor mental health and poor social support. Results also emphasize the need to focus on the subjective experience of the birth to prevent fear of childbirth and elective caesarean sections on maternal request. Regarding the relationship with social support, causality has to be interpreted cautiously, as social support was measured at 8 weeks postpartum only.
Highlights
This population-based cohort study aimed to investigate the demographic and psychosocial characteristics associated with fear of childbirth and the relative importance of such fear as a predictor of elective caesarean section
75 % of the women had a normal vaginal delivery, 11 % had an instrumental vaginal delivery, 9 % delivered by emergency caesarean section and 5 % delivered by elective caesarean section
Our results suggest that women with fear of childbirth are more likely to have had a previous negative overall birth experience, impaired mental health, and poor social support, which indicates certain vulnerabilities in these women
Summary
This population-based cohort study aimed to investigate the demographic and psychosocial characteristics associated with fear of childbirth and the relative importance of such fear as a predictor of elective caesarean section. 6 to 10 % of all pregnant women experience severe fear of childbirth [1,2,3] This fear may be the dominant emotion during pregnancy and may complicate and prolong labour [4]. It is conceivable that demographic and psychosocial factors may increase stress related to impending childbirth and are connected with the ways women anticipate and experience various life events. Those characteristics could be predictive of fear of childbirth. Few studies have focused on the relative importance of both demographic and psychosocial factors [7, 12], and several studies of fear of childbirth and its association with these factors have been limited by a small sample size [10] or use of non-validated questions [7] or other unspecific measurements [12]
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