Gender roles and personality traits as predictive factors for fear of childbirth

Abstract

ABSTRACT Fear of childbirth affects their labor, delivery, and the postpartum period. For this reason, it is important to examine all aspects of fear of childbirth, which has a multifactorial etiology. The purpose of this study is to determine whether gender roles and personality traits predict fear of childbirth among pregnant Turkish women. A cross-sectional study was conducted. It was completed with 200 women in the labor process receiving care in the birthing room of a state hospital. Descriptive statistics were represented by percentages, means, and standard deviation values. Simple regression analysis was employed to examine whether gender roles and Cervantes personality traits predicted fear of childbirth. It was determined that there was a negative relationship between masculine gender role and having an extroverted personality and fear of childbirth. In conclusion, the data suggest that gender roles and personality traits may be useful variables to predict women’s fear of childbirth. Future studies that will examine the relationship of gender roles and personality traits with the birth process can bring a new perspective to health professionals and a new dimension to care.