PREVALENCE OF FEAR OF CHILDBIRTH AND ITS PREDICTORS IN PREGNANT WOMEN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN 2021

Fears of childbirth during the Covid-19 crisis and disruption in safe maternal care may be exacerbated. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of fear of childbirth in the Covid-19 crisis and its predictors in pregnant women.

The cross-sectional study was done on 330 referred to pregnancy clinics affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences in the Covid-19 crisis, from May to November 2021. The Hartmann questionnaire was used to assess the fear of childbirth. The mean score of the Hartmann questionnaire, 28, was considered as the fear of childbirth. The studied variables were compared in two groups of women with fear and without fear of childbirth.

The age range of the pregnant women was 18-45 years. The mean score of fear of childbirth in women was 35.95 ± 9.44 in the range of 14-56. 82.7% of the women were in the group with fear of childbirth. In the final analysis with logistic regression model, only the tendency to delivery type remained as a significant factor in the model; in other words, the odds ratio of the tendency to vaginal delivery in women with fear of childbirth was about 73% lower than women without fear of childbirth (B = 0.273, PV = 0.015, CI = 0.096-0.774).

Findings of the study indicate an increase in the frequency of fear of childbirth in the Covid-19 crisis. Also, the fear of childbirth was significantly related to the decrease in desire for natural childbirth. According to its negative effects on maternal and infant health, this issue should be considered by the health promotion policy-makers and health-care providers.