Does Fear of Giving Birth Impact the Self-Efficacy Perceptions of a Pregnant Woman?

Abstract

Background: The fear of death during delivery develops before pregnancy; it is called "tokophobia". Aim: To compare the self-efficacy perceptions of pregnant women based on the degree of their fear of giving birth and to determine the relationship between the two considerations. Methods: This study was conducted with a descriptive and corelational design between January 2 and October 31, 2014 in a maternity hospital in Eastern Turkey. Women in their 28th–40th gestational week, visiting the hospital were included in the study. Version A of the Wijma delivery expectancy/experience scale and the short version of the birth self-efficacy inventory were used to collect the data. Results: Among the pregnant women with low fear of giving birth, the mean scores were 61.88±13.35 for Wijma and 217.50±40.31 for the self-efficacy scale. For the pregnant women with high fear of giving birth, Wijma scores were 115.98±15.92 and self-efficacy scale was 169.57±44.26. Conclusion: This study emphasize that pregnant women with low fear of giving birth had higher levels of self-efficacy perception compared to those with high fear of giving birth.