Predictors of Fear of Childbirth in the Primiparous Women in Ardabil-Iran
QC01-QC05
Correspondence
Dr. Mojgan Mirghafourvand,
Sougth Sharaiati Street, Tabriz, East Azerbaijan, Iran.
E-mail: mirghafourvand@gmail.com
Introduction: Fear Of Childbirth (FOC) is the main factor leading to elective and emergency cesarean section. FOC and prenatal depression affect the women and fetus health status and it is associated with negative neonatal outcomes during pregnancy.
Aim: To determine the predictors of FOC in pregnant women.
Results: The mean (SD) scores of the WDEQ-A and the EPDS were 58.4 (26.1) and 8.9 (5.1), respectively. More than one-third of women (38.6%) had high FOC and about one-third (34.1%) had moderate FOC. On the base of the Pearson’s correlation test, there was a significant correlation between FOC and depression (p<0.001, r=0.51). Moreover, based on the general linear model, the variables of depression, sufficiency of family income and non-male fetal gender were predictors of FOC and they explained 28.5% of the variance in childbirth fear.
Conclusion: The present results showed that the pregnancy depression correlated with FOC. Therefore, identifying and treating depressed pregnant women can decrease FOC and its complication on the women and neonates. It may be also effective in reducing unnecessary cesarean sections.