Investigation of the Relationship between Perfectionism withPost-Cesarean Pain and Anxiety

Post-cesarean pain and anxiety is associated with several complications and it is very important for maternal and neonatal health care and breastfeeding. Some Studies are indicative of a relationship between psychological factors and pain. The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between perfectionism and post-cesarean pain and anxiety.

This correlational descriptive analytical study was carried out on 70 eligible pregnant women who referred to Omolbanin hospital of Mashhad city for elective cesarean section. Sampling was performed using consecutive method. Data were collected using Ahvaz Perfectionism Questionnaire (APS) and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (2-3 hours before cesarean section). Two hours after cesarean section, Spielberger questionnaire was used and to assess the patients’ pain, short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), was used. Data were analyzed by Chi-square, Spearman, and Pearson correlation tests at the significance level of p<0.05.

In this study, there was a significant correlations between perfectionism score and trait anxiety (r=0.51, p<0.001) and state anxiety before (r=0.41, p=0.001) and after (r=0.43, p=0.001) the cesarean section. Although there was significant correlation between perfectionism score and sensory dimension of SF-MPQ (r=0.31, p=0.017), no significant correlation was observed with emotional dimension of SF-MPQ (r=0.14, p=0.319(.

The results of this study showed that perfectionism is associated with anxiety and pain after cesarean section; therefore, cognitive behavioral counseling is recommended for perfectionists during pregnancy.