BACKGROUND: Women's rights to request an elective cesarean section without a specific medical indication has been intensively debated during the last decade among healthcare professionals. The aim of this study was to investigate if women requesting a cesarean section differ in their personality from those who plan a vaginal delivery. The aim was also to study differences between the groups in age, perceived health, and place of birth, IVF treatment, and family size planning. METHOD: Three hundred and twenty-eight pregnant women from two different groups, "cesarean section on maternal request" (n=84), and "vaginal delivery group" (n=242) completed the self-report inventory Karolinska Scales of Personality at 37-39 gestational weeks in pregnancy. RESULTS: A significant difference in age was found between the cesarean and the vaginal group (mean age 33.9 years versus 30.8, p<0.001). Analysis of covariance of personality traits showed that the subscales Monotony avoidance (p<0.003) and Socialization (p<0.002) differed significantly between women requesting cesarean section and women planning a vaginal delivery. There were no differences between the groups in variables concerning the anxiety proneness scale. CONCLUSION: Personality traits such as Socialization and Monotony avoidance differ significantly before birth between mothers who request a cesarean section and those who do not.
BACKGROUND:Women's rights to request an elective cesarean section without a specific medical indication has been intensively debated during the last decade among healthcare professionals. The aim of this study was to investigate if women requesting a cesarean section differ in their personality from those who plan a vaginal delivery. The aim was also to study differences between the groups in age, perceived health, and place of birth, IVF treatment, and family size planning. METHOD: Three hundred and twenty-eight pregnant women from two different groups, "cesarean section on maternal request" (n=84), and "vaginal delivery group" (n=242) completed the self-report inventory Karolinska Scales of Personality at 37-39 gestational weeks in pregnancy. RESULTS: A significant difference in age was found between the cesarean and the vaginal group (mean age 33.9 years versus 30.8, p<0.001). Analysis of covariance of personality traits showed that the subscales Monotony avoidance (p<0.003) and Socialization (p<0.002) differed significantly between women requesting cesarean section and women planning a vaginal delivery. There were no differences between the groups in variables concerning the anxiety proneness scale. CONCLUSION: Personality traits such as Socialization and Monotony avoidance differ significantly before birth between mothers who request a cesarean section and those who do not.