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When Fear of Childbirth is Pathological: The Fear Continuum

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Abstract

Objectives

Given that prepartum psychiatric symptoms have been reported to be associated with postpartum disorders, focusing on the prepartum period appears of prime importance. The aim of the current study was threefold: (a) to identify the prevalence rates of women suffering from fear of childbirth (FOC) and tokophobia (b) to explore the association between FOC, obstetrical and psychopathological variables and (c) to identify the independent predictors of the intensity of FOC symptoms, FOC and tokophobia.

Methods

at 36 weeks’ gestation, 98 women completed questionnaires assessing FOC, pretraumatic stress, fear of pain, depressive and anxiety symptomatology as well as perceived social support. Socio-demographic and gynecological data were also gathered.

Results

22.45% of women reported a probable FOC and 20.41% suffered from a potential tokophobia. Epidural anesthesia (ß = 5.62, p < 0.05), and the intensity of pretraumatic stress symptoms (ß= 0.69, p < 0.05), were independently associated with the intensity of FOC symptoms. Planning a c-section was significantly related to FOC (β = 0.09, p = 0.03). Planning an epidural anesthesia was also an independent predictor of both FOC and tokophobia (β = 1.33, p = 0.03; β = 1.26, p = 0.04, respectively).

Conclusions

Given the high rates of FOC and tokophobia highlighted, developing an appropriate preparation to childbirth is of great relevance. Longitudinal studies should be developed in order to provide an in-depth examination of the course of prepartum psychiatric disorders, maintenance of symptoms and their impact on subsequent infant development.

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Notes

  1. Tokophobia is a pathological fear of giving birth that might lead to avoidance of childbirth.

  2. Most health costs are covered by the French public healthcare system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches en Psychopathologie et de la Santé - CERPPS (EA 7411), Toulouse Cedex 9, France

    Léa Poggi, Natalène Séjourné & Henri Chabrol

  2. Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage –CeRCA- (CNRS, UMR 7295) MSHS – Université de Poitiers, 5 rue Théodore Lefebvre, 86073, Poitiers Cedex 9, France

    Nelly Goutaudier

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  1. Léa Poggi
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  2. Nelly Goutaudier
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Correspondence to Nelly Goutaudier.

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Poggi, L., Goutaudier, N., Séjourné, N. et al. When Fear of Childbirth is Pathological: The Fear Continuum. Matern Child Health J 22, 772–778 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-018-2447-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-018-2447-8

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