Determinants of Fear of Childbirth in Pregnant Women with a History of Cesarean Delivery

OpenAlex İngilizce

Objectives: In this study, it was aimed to examine the fear of childbirth (FOC) and the factors associated with FOC in pregnant women who had a history of cesarean section in their previous pregnancies. Materials and Methods:The study included pregnant women who were followed up in the pregnant outpatient clinic, had a history of previous cesarean section, and were between the 24 th and 40 th weeks of their current pregnancies.A sociodemographic and clinical information form, which included information about age, education level, current pregnancy and previous pregnancies, psychiatric and internal disease history, and sexual functions, was filled in for all pregnant women in the study.All pregnant women completed the Beck depression inventory (BDI) and Beck anxiety inventory (BAI).Results: One hundred and thirty-one pregnant women were included in the study and 74.4% of them declared that they experienced significant FOC.It was determined that the pregnant women with FOC experienced statistically significantly more fear during vaginal examination, reported pain/contraction during sexual intercourse, expressed fear that they would experience pain/contraction during sexual intercourse and higher scores of BDI, BAI.In logistic regression analysis, it was found that education level, fear in vaginal examination, and fear of pain during sexual intercourse predicted the FOC.Conclusion: A high rate of FOC is also seen in pregnant women with a history of cesarean section, and vaginismus is an important risk factor for FOC in these women.Questioning vaginismus in all pregnant women will contribute to both pregnancy follow-ups and decreasing the rates of elective cesarean section.