Carolin Junge1,2, Tilmann von Soest3, Kerstin Weidner4, Andreas Seidler2, Malin Eberhard-Gran1,5,6, Susan Garthus-Niegel1,4. 1. Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway. 2. Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany. 3. Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. 4. Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of the Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany. 5. HØKH, Research Centre, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway. 6. Institute of Clinical Medicine, Campus Ahus, University of Oslo, Lørenskog, Norway.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This prospective study aims to investigate whether severe fear of childbirth increases pain perceptions during birth and whether co-occurring maternal health and birth factors as well as length and weight of the child explain the association. METHODS: The study sample comprised women with a vaginal delivery and was drawn from the Akershus Birth Cohort. Data from the hospital birth's record and questionnaires at weeks 17-19 and 32 of pregnancy and 8 weeks postpartum were used (n = 1649). Analysis of variance and analysis of covariance were conducted to examine whether ratings of labor pain differed significantly between women with and without severe fear of childbirth and which factors explained the difference. RESULTS: Women with severe fear of childbirth experienced significantly more labor pain than women without severe fear of childbirth (P < .01). However, when controlling for symptoms of maternal depression and anxiety, use of epidural/spinal anesthetic or nitrous oxide gas, and menstrual pain, this difference was no longer significant (P = .09). DISCUSSION: Although the results show that labor pain is related to multiple physiological and psychological factors in a complex manner, symptoms of maternal depression and anxiety seem to play a central role for the experience of labor pain, and should therefore be focused on by health practitioners.
BACKGROUND: This prospective study aims to investigate whether severe fear of childbirth increases pain perceptions during birth and whether co-occurring maternal health and birth factors as well as length and weight of the child explain the association. METHODS: The study sample comprised women with a vaginal delivery and was drawn from the Akershus Birth Cohort. Data from the hospital birth's record and questionnaires at weeks 17-19 and 32 of pregnancy and 8 weeks postpartum were used (n = 1649). Analysis of variance and analysis of covariance were conducted to examine whether ratings of labor pain differed significantly between women with and without severe fear of childbirth and which factors explained the difference. RESULTS:Women with severe fear of childbirth experienced significantly more labor pain than women without severe fear of childbirth (P < .01). However, when controlling for symptoms of maternal depression and anxiety, use of epidural/spinal anesthetic or nitrous oxide gas, and menstrual pain, this difference was no longer significant (P = .09). DISCUSSION: Although the results show that labor pain is related to multiple physiological and psychological factors in a complex manner, symptoms of maternal depression and anxiety seem to play a central role for the experience of labor pain, and should therefore be focused on by health practitioners.
Authors: A Linzbach; D Nitschke; J Rothaug; M Komann; C Weinmann; E Schleußner; W Meißner; J Jimenez Cruz; U Schneider Journal: Arch Gynecol Obstet Date: 2021-09-20 Impact factor: 2.493
Authors: Silvia Navarro-Prado; María Angustias Sánchez-Ojeda; Adelina Martín-Salvador; Trinidad Luque-Vara; Elisabet Fernández-Gómez; Elena Caro-Morán Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-08-12 Impact factor: 3.390