COMPARISON OF PREDICTORS OF TOKOPHOBIA IN MOTHERS IN THE LAST TRIMESTER AND FIRST SIX MONTHS OF PREGNANCY BASED ON METACOGNITIVE BELIEFS, CORONA ANXIETY, AND ILNESS ANXIETY

Background & Aims:

 Tokophobia is a pathological fear of childbirth that can lead to anxiety and worry in pregnant women. The current study was performed to compare predictors of tokophobia in mothers in the last trimester and first six months of pregnancy based on metacognitive beliefs, corona anxiety, and ilness anxiety in 2022.

Materials & Methods:

 This is a case-control study and was conducted on 104 primiparous mothers (52 people last trimester and 52 people first six months) in 2022. The sampling method was convenient method, and was done with the cooperation of nurses and midwives in the health centers of Shushtar city, Iran. Data was collected using Tokophobia Severity Questionnaire, Metacognitive Beliefs, Coronary Anxiety, and Disease Anxiety, and analyzed in a multiple linear regression model with 95% confidence level by SPSS software version 22.

The variables of uncontrollability and risk (β=0.41), psychological symptoms of corona anxiety (β=0.31), general health concern (β=0.33), and positive beliefs about worry (β=0.31) were the most important, respectively. The predictive factors of tokophobia in mothers were in the last trimester of pregnancy. Also, the variables of illness (β=0.35), need to restrain thoughts (β=0.42), confidence in memory (β=0.27) and physical symptoms of corona anxiety (β=0.23) were respectively the most important predictors of tokophobia in the mothers in the first six months of pregnancy.

This study showed that in the mothers of the last trimester of pregnancy, the variable of inhibition and danger and in the mothers of the last six months, the variable of contract the disease has the most predictive ability. Based on this, by implementing public health education programs and how to provide mental health care in health centers, mothers can be helped in reducing tokophobia.