Fear of childbirth among pregnant women and their partners in Turkey.

Prevalence of fear of childbirth in a sample of gravida women in Kenya.

This paper seeks to identify the risk factors of fear of childbirth (FOC) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to birth and reviews the efficacy of their respective screening tools and therapeutic interventions. Biofeedback, hypnosis, internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy, and antenatal education are promising treatments for FOC. Training midwives to address traumatic birth experiences could help in preventing PTSD. A shorter more pragmatic screening tool for FOC than the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (WDEQ) is needed. Women with PTSD attributed a mismatch between the expected mode of delivery (MOD) and the actual MOD as the cause of their trauma. A history of mental health disorders, lack of social support, previous negative birth experiences, and MOD are correlated to FOC and postpartum PTSD. Psycho-education and CBT-based treatments have been found to reduce levels of FOC and PTSD.

Fear and Anxiety Disorders Related to Childbirth: Epidemiological and Therapeutic Issues

Keeping it together and falling apart: Women's dynamic experience of birth.

The causes of fear of childbirth and the factors that affect it are not fully explained. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between fear of childbirth in pregnant women and a...

Investigating fear of childbirth in pregnant women and its relationship between anxiety sensitivity and somatosensory amplification

Objective To identify the prevalence of and to determine the risk factors for developing a fear of childbirth (tokophobia). Methods We evaluated 191 pregnant women during Parenting and Childbirth Classes. Participants were approached when attending Parenting and Childbirth Classes between June 2014 and September 2014 and were asked to complete several questionnaires related to depression (CES-D), anxiety (STAI X1 and X2), satisfaction with life (SWLS), delivery expectation/experience (W-DEQ), and specific fears. Results Most (90%) of the responders were nulliparous. As many as 75% of the participants reported low to moderate tokophobia, whereas 25% exhibited high or very high fear of childbirth. Pathological fear occurred in 1.6% of the participants. The most significant was the fear of having an episiotomy followed by fear of having no control on the situation and fear of pain. An association exists between a preferred elective cesarean birth and tokophobia. Conclusions The results draw attention to the need for early detection and treatment of fear of childbirth. The data may help identifying women at risk that require prenatal psychological intervention.

Karin Demšar

Papers

Tokophobia (fear of childbirth): prevalence and risk factors