Survey of the Relationship between fear of childbirth, pain and delivery outcomes

Background: Delivery is a unique experience in women's life. Fear of childbirth is an important factor that affects women's psychological health. Fear is accompanied by increased pain sensation and undesirable delivery outcomes. Aim: To survey the relationship between fear of childbirth and pain and delivery outcomes in nulliparous women in maternity ward of public hospitals in Rasht. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 230 eligible nulliparous women based on convenience sampling. Data collection instruments included questionnaires of demographic, fertility and Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience version B questionnaires and visual analogue scale for pain. The Fisher exact test, one-way analysis of variance, chi-square and multinomial logistic regression tests were performed for data analysis. Results: Univariate analyses revealed that fear did not have a significant relationship with pain and delivery outcomes (p>0.05). The regression model revealed that some items of the fear questionnaire, maternal education, desired fetal sex, receiving information at admission, participation in childbirth preparation classes, maternal age, maternal diseases and Persian ethnicity, compared to Gilak ethnicity, were the predictors of Caesarean section and pain. Conclusions: The findings of this study revealed a significant relationship between fear of childbirth and receiving information at admission. Considering the psychological aspects of delivery for mother and pleasurizing delivery by providing psychological support and appropriate environment are important issues in delivery rooms.