The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Fear of Childbirth Among Pregnant Adolescents in Turkey: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of severe fear of childbirth (FOC) in a sample of nulliparous pregnant adolescents in a tertiary referral hospital in Turkey and compare the severity of FOC with the low-risk nulliparous pregnant women. Also, we aimed to identify potential risk factors that may predict the occurrence of high FOC. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 55 singleton pregnant adolescents aged 13-19 years at the time of pregnancy occurrence were included in the study group and 68 low-risk singleton pregnant women aged between 20-30 years were included in the control group. Results: The sum of moderate and severe depression patients were significantly higher in the adolescent pregnancy (AP) group (n=12, 21.8%) than the non-AP group (n=4, 5.8%, p=0.008). In the AP group, 12 young women scored Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire version A (WDEQ-A) ≥85, ending in a prevalence of 21.8% with severe FOC, and 13 women in the non-AP group scored WDEQ-A≥85 ending in a prevalence of 18.8% with severe FOC, and there was no statistically significant difference when compared (p=0.681). A positive and statistically significant relationship was observed between the total scores of the WDEQ-A and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scales (r=0.286, p=0.001). Conclusion: We found a high prevalence of FOC among Turkish nulliparous adolescent and non-adolescent pregnant women, approximately one in every 5 patients had a severe level of FOC. Also, we detected a significant correlation between the WDEQ-A scores and the BDI scores.