The Relationship Between The Psychosocial Health Status Of Primiparous Pregnant Women And Fear Of Childbirth

Abstract

Aim: The prevailing opinion that the psychosocial health status of the woman during pregnancy may affect the course of pregnancy, as well as have an impact on her psychological and spiritual life. One of the factors affecting psychosocial health during pregnancy is the fear of childbirth. There are no studies in the literature evaluating the relationship between the psychosocial health status of primiparous pregnant women and the fear of childbirth. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the psychosocial health status of primiparous pregnant women and the fear of childbirth. Method: This descriptive study was conducted with 351 primiparous pregnant women who applied to the pregnant outpatient clinic of *** University Hospital between April 15 and August 15, 2021. The data were obtained via the Introductory Information Form, the Pregnancy Psychosocial Health Assessment Scale (PPHAS), and the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire version A (W-DEQ) and were evaluated with descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis, Spearman correlation and linear regression analysis. Results: The mean age of the pregnant women participating in the study was 24.07±3.9, the mean gestational week was 31.85±4.9, the mean W-DEQ score was 66.19±23.9, and the mean PPHAS score was 3.92 ±0.46. It was determined that those who attended prenatal education classes had lower PPHAS scores (p=0.014). A negative and significant correlation was found between the total and sub-dimensions of the PPHAS and the W-DEQ scale (p<0.001). Conclusion: It was determined that as the fear of childbirth decreased, the psychosocial health levels of primiparous pregnant women increased.