Mental health problems common in women with fear of childbirth
- 13 April 2011
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Vol. 118 (9), 1104-1111
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2011.02967.x
Abstract
To investigate whether women with fear of childbirth have more mental health problems than women of childbearing age in general. Register-based retrospective study. The maternity clinic of Helsinki University Central Hospital. In all, 2405 women referred for consultation because of fear of childbirth during 1996-2002 and 4676 comparable control women. Data were linked to the Medical Birth Register, the Hospital Discharge Register and the Drug Reimbursement Register 5-12 years before and after the initial childbirth (during 1990-2008). Prevalence of psychiatric care as evidenced by the use of psychotropic medication, and episodes of either psychiatric inpatient or outpatient care in women with fear of childbirth compared with nonfearful controls. Women with fear of childbirth had significantly more often had psychiatric care (54.0% versus 33.6%, P < 0.001) during the study period. Fearful and nonfearful women differed from each other (P < 0.001) regarding psychiatric inpatient care (7.2% versus 3.6%), outpatient care (19.0% versus 9.8%) and the use of psychotropic medication (51.3% versus 31.3%). Mood and anxiety disorders were the most common psychiatric diagnoses in both groups. The major predictors for a need for psychiatric care after the initial childbirth were previous psychiatric care (adjusted odds ratio 4.5; 95% CI 4.0-5.1) and fear of childbirth (adjusted odds ratio 1.9; 95%CI 1.7-2.1). A remarkable mental morbidity was seen among women of childbearing age. Mental health problems were twice as common among women with a fear of childbirth as in nonfearful controls. Clinical practice on how to evaluate and treat women fearing childbirth should be developed.This publication has 30 references indexed in Scilit:
- Fear of childbirth according to parity, gestational age, and obstetric historyBJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2008
- Cesarean section on maternal request: reasons for the request, self‐estimated health, expectations, experience of birth and signs of depression among first‐time mothersActa Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 2007
- Is pregnancy anxiety a distinctive syndrome?Early Human Development, 2004
- Implications of Antenatal Depression and Anxiety for Obstetric OutcomeObstetrics & Gynecology, 2004
- Point prevalence of psychiatric disorders during the second trimester of pregnancy: A population-based studyAmerican Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2003
- Experiences of Fears Associated with Pregnancy and Childbirth: A Study of 329 Pregnant WomenBirth, 2002
- Psychosocial characteristics of women and their partners fearing vaginal childbirthBritish Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2001
- Factors associated with fear of delivery in second pregnancies1, *1Obstetrics & Gynecology, 1999
- Psychosocial indications for cesarean section: A retrospective study of 43 casesActa Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 1991
- Identification of Women with Significant Fear of Childbirth during Late PregnancyGynecologic and Obstetric Investigation, 1982