Abstract
BackgroundChildbirth fear is reported to affect around 20% of women. However reporting on levels of symptom severity vary. Unlike Scandinavian countries, there has been limited focus on childbirth fear in Australia. The aim of this paper is to determine the prevalence of low, moderate, high and severe levels of childbirth fear in a large representative sample of pregnant women drawn from a large randomised controlled trial and identify demographic and obstetric characteristics associated with childbirth fear.MethodUsing a descriptive cross-sectional design, 1,410 women in their second trimester were recruited from one of three public hospitals in south-east Queensland. Participants were screened for childbirth fear using the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire Version A (WDEQ-A). Associations of demographic and obstetric factors and levels of childbirth fear between nulliparous and multiparous women were investigated.ResultsPrevalence of childbirth fear was 24% overall, with 31.5% of nulliparous women reporting high levels of fear (score ≥66 on the WDEQ-A) compared to 18% of multiparous women. Childbirth fear was associated with paid employment, parity, and mode of last birth, with higher levels of fear in first time mothers (p < 0.001) and in women who had previously had an operative birth (p < 0.001).ConclusionPrevalence of childbirth fear in Australian women was comparable to international rates. Significant factors associated with childbirth fear were being in paid employment, and obstetric characteristics such as parity and birth mode in the previous pregnancy. First time mothers had higher levels of fear than women who had birthed before. A previous operative birth was fear provoking. Experiencing a previous normal birth was protective of childbirth fear.
Highlights
Childbirth is a significant physiological, social and emotional event in the life of a woman and her family
Prevalence of childbirth fear in Australian women was comparable to international rates
Significant factors associated with childbirth fear were being in paid employment, and obstetric characteristics such as parity and birth mode in the previous pregnancy
Summary
Childbirth is a significant physiological, social and emotional event in the life of a woman and her family. The experience of childbirth should be life-affirming and associated with minimal risk of an adverse outcome for women living in developed countries [1]. The reasons for this are complex, there is increasing evidence that childbirth fear [4,5,6] stemming from birth and non-birth related factors contribute to longer labour and higher caesarean section (CS) rates [4,7,8]. This paper reports on a descriptive cross-sectional study that aimed to determine the prevalence of childbirth fear in a large sample of Australian women and identify associated demographic and obstetric characteristics. The aim of this paper is to determine the prevalence of low, moderate, high and severe levels of childbirth fear in a large representative sample of pregnant women drawn from a large randomised controlled trial and identify demographic and obstetric characteristics associated with childbirth fear. Parity, and timing of data collection are likely to influence reported levels of childbirth fear
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