Research Article

Factors Affecting Pregnant Women’s Fear of Birth Levels during Labour and Effects of the Fear of Birth on Birth Pain, Birth Trauma Perception and Mood: An Analytical-Cross-Sectional Study

Volume: 10 Number: 3 September 15, 2025
Online Turkish Journal of Health Sciences Cover
Online Turkish Journal of Health Sciences
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Factors Affecting Pregnant Women’s Fear of Birth Levels during Labour and Effects of the Fear of Birth on Birth Pain, Birth Trauma Perception and Mood: An Analytical-Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing pregnant women's fear of childbirth during labour when they arrived at the hospital for delivery. Materials and Methods: This was an analytical, cross-sectional study conducted with 244 pregnant women admitted to the Obstetrics Clinic of Sakarya Training and Research Hospital. Data were collected using a Descriptive Information Form, the Delivery Fear Scale, the Visual Analogue Scale, the City Birth Trauma Scale and the Labour Agentry Scale. Results: Participants' mean childbirth fear scale scores were found to be below the moderate level. Fear levels were significantly correlated with participation in childbirth education and delivery method (p<0.05), but not with birth interventions or pain perception (p>0.05). Fear was negatively correlated with perceived control and positively correlated with birth trauma scores (p<0.05). Conclusions: Fear of childbirth can be alleviated by providing holistic and supportive care during the antenatal period. Reducing this fear may lead to improved birth outcomes. It is recommended that future research involve larger, multicenter samples and focus on identifying psychological, social and cultural variables, as well as evaluating interventions that effectively reduce childbirth fear.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

Prior to the commencement of the study, ethical approval was obtained from the Non-Interventional Ethics Committee of the Sakarya University Faculty of Medicine (Date: 15.11.2022, decision no: 324), along with permission from the hospital administration where the study was conducted. All participants provided verbal consent, permitting the use of their anonymized data for academic purposes. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Thanks

We would like to thank the pregnant women who participated in the research and the midwives who cared for these pregnant women. We would also like to express our gratitude to Mustafa Demir for his assistance with the English translation of the article.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Psychosocial Aspects of Childbirth and Perinatal Mental Health

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Publication Date

September 15, 2025

Submission Date

June 26, 2025

Acceptance Date

August 18, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 10 Number: 3

DOI

https://doi.org/10.26453/otjhs.1727509

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA52JH36PL

Cite

RIS / Bibtex
APA
Balçık Çolak, M., Öztürk Can, H., Yolcu, B., Kalkan, S. C., & Ünlü Bıdık, N. (2025). Factors Affecting Pregnant Women’s Fear of Birth Levels during Labour and Effects of the Fear of Birth on Birth Pain, Birth Trauma Perception and Mood: An Analytical-Cross-Sectional Study. Online Turkish Journal of Health Sciences, 10(3), 304-311. https://doi.org/10.26453/otjhs.1727509
AMA
1.Balçık Çolak M, Öztürk Can H, Yolcu B, Kalkan SC, Ünlü Bıdık N. Factors Affecting Pregnant Women’s Fear of Birth Levels during Labour and Effects of the Fear of Birth on Birth Pain, Birth Trauma Perception and Mood: An Analytical-Cross-Sectional Study. OTJHS. 2025;10(3):304-311. doi:10.26453/otjhs.1727509
Chicago
Balçık Çolak, Melek, Hafize Öztürk Can, Büşra Yolcu, Sare Cansu Kalkan, and Nazlı Ünlü Bıdık. 2025. “Factors Affecting Pregnant Women’s Fear of Birth Levels During Labour and Effects of the Fear of Birth on Birth Pain, Birth Trauma Perception and Mood: An Analytical-Cross-Sectional Study”. Online Turkish Journal of Health Sciences 10 (3): 304-11. https://doi.org/10.26453/otjhs.1727509.
EndNote
Balçık Çolak M, Öztürk Can H, Yolcu B, Kalkan SC, Ünlü Bıdık N (September 1, 2025) Factors Affecting Pregnant Women’s Fear of Birth Levels during Labour and Effects of the Fear of Birth on Birth Pain, Birth Trauma Perception and Mood: An Analytical-Cross-Sectional Study. Online Turkish Journal of Health Sciences 10 3 304–311.
IEEE
[1]M. Balçık Çolak, H. Öztürk Can, B. Yolcu, S. C. Kalkan, and N. Ünlü Bıdık, “Factors Affecting Pregnant Women’s Fear of Birth Levels during Labour and Effects of the Fear of Birth on Birth Pain, Birth Trauma Perception and Mood: An Analytical-Cross-Sectional Study”, OTJHS, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 304–311, Sept. 2025, doi: 10.26453/otjhs.1727509.
ISNAD
Balçık Çolak, Melek - Öztürk Can, Hafize - Yolcu, Büşra - Kalkan, Sare Cansu - Ünlü Bıdık, Nazlı. “Factors Affecting Pregnant Women’s Fear of Birth Levels During Labour and Effects of the Fear of Birth on Birth Pain, Birth Trauma Perception and Mood: An Analytical-Cross-Sectional Study”. Online Turkish Journal of Health Sciences 10/3 (September 1, 2025): 304-311. https://doi.org/10.26453/otjhs.1727509.
JAMA
1.Balçık Çolak M, Öztürk Can H, Yolcu B, Kalkan SC, Ünlü Bıdık N. Factors Affecting Pregnant Women’s Fear of Birth Levels during Labour and Effects of the Fear of Birth on Birth Pain, Birth Trauma Perception and Mood: An Analytical-Cross-Sectional Study. OTJHS. 2025;10:304–311.
MLA
Balçık Çolak, Melek, et al. “Factors Affecting Pregnant Women’s Fear of Birth Levels During Labour and Effects of the Fear of Birth on Birth Pain, Birth Trauma Perception and Mood: An Analytical-Cross-Sectional Study”. Online Turkish Journal of Health Sciences, vol. 10, no. 3, Sept. 2025, pp. 304-11, doi:10.26453/otjhs.1727509.
Vancouver
1.Melek Balçık Çolak, Hafize Öztürk Can, Büşra Yolcu, Sare Cansu Kalkan, Nazlı Ünlü Bıdık. Factors Affecting Pregnant Women’s Fear of Birth Levels during Labour and Effects of the Fear of Birth on Birth Pain, Birth Trauma Perception and Mood: An Analytical-Cross-Sectional Study. OTJHS. 2025 Sep. 1;10(3):304-11. doi:10.26453/otjhs.1727509

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