Effects of COVID-19 anxiety and obsession on fear of childbirth in high-risk pregnancy during the pandemic in Turkey

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic may have significant effects on fear of childbirth among women undergoing a high-risk pregnancy. This study sought to determine the relationship between the COVID-19 obsession and anxiety levels of women with high-risk pregnancies and their fear of childbirth. Methods...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	International journal of psychiatry in medicine Vol. 58; no. 5; pp. 476 - 492
Main Authors:	Aksoy, Sena D., Ozdemir, Suzi, Akbal, Esra
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-09-2023 Sage Publications Ltd
Subjects:	Anxiety - epidemiology Cesarean Section - psychology Childbirth & labor COVID-19 Delivery, Obstetric - psychology Fear Female Humans Pandemics Pregnancy Pregnancy complications Pregnancy, High-Risk Surveys and Questionnaires Turkey Womens health Turkey COVID-19 childbirth anxiety obsession high-risk pregnancy fear
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	Objective The COVID-19 pandemic may have significant effects on fear of childbirth among women undergoing a high-risk pregnancy. This study sought to determine the relationship between the COVID-19 obsession and anxiety levels of women with high-risk pregnancies and their fear of childbirth. Methods A total of 326 hospitalized women with high-risk pregnancies were evaluated between March 2021 and March 2022. The COVID-19 Anxiety Scale (CAS), COVID-19 Obsession Scale (OCS), and Fear of Birth Scale (FOBS, composed of two subscales, FOBS1-anxiety and FOBS2-fear) were administered. Results Positive correlations were found between the FOBS1 and FOBS2 scores and CAS and OCS total scores (p < .001). The participants with secondary school degrees, those who had not given birth before, those who had an unfavorable previous childbirth experience, and those who were planning to have vaginal delivery had significantly higher average FOBS1 and FOBS2 scores (p < .05). Those living in an extended family were 3.22 times more likely to experience FOBS1 and 2.23 times more likely to experience FOBS2 than those living in a nuclear family. Women following COVID-19 information were 3.69 times more likely than others to experience these symptoms. In addition, those scheduled for vaginal delivery were 1.80 times more likely to experience FOBS2 than those scheduled for caesarean section. Conclusion Women with high-risk pregnancies may experience COVID-19 anxiety, which may worsen their fear of childbirth. Psychosocial interventions focused on addressing COVID-19 anxiety are warranted for women with high-risk pregnancies in Turkey and for those living in other areas of the world as well.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0091-2174 1541-3527
DOI:	10.1177/00912174231183925