Psychosocial risk factors for emergency cesarean section

Czech version

Authors: L. Takács ¹; J. Mlíková Seidlerová ²; P. Čepický ³
Authors‘ workplace: Katedra psychologie FF UK, Praha, vedoucí katedry doc. PhDr. MUDr. R. Bahbouh, Ph. D. ¹; II. interní klinika FN a LF UK, Plzeň, přednosta prof. MUDr. J. Filipovský, CSc. ²; Gynekologicko-porodnická klinika, Nemocnice Na Bulovce, 1. LF UK, Praha, přednosta prof. MUDr. M. Zikán, Ph. D. ³
Published in: Ceska Gynekol 2019; 84(1): 33-39
Category: Original Article

Overview

Objective: To compare the effects of childbirth fear and trait anxiety on the risk of emergency cesarean section; to analyze whether emergency cesarean section is associated with low mastery and maternal self-esteem; to examine whether stress and low social support in pregnancy may be considered risk factors for emergency cesarean section.

Design: Original study.

Setting: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague.

Methods: The study sample consisted of 447 women who gave birth at a maternity hospital in Vysočina Region (Havlíčkův Brod, Jihlava, Pelhřimov, Třebíč, Nové Město na Moravě) between October 2013 and September 2014. In the last trimester of pregnancy, the women completed validated questionnaires designed to assess fear of childbirth, general anxiety, maternal self-esteem, mastery, perceived stress and social support. Data regarding the course of labor were extracted from medical records. The association between the psychosocial factors and the risk of delivery via emergency cesarean section was analyzed using multiple logistic regression adjusted for marital status, parity, child‘s sex and epidural anesthesia.

Results: A total of 73 women (16.3%) delivered by emergency cesarean section. The only statistically significant psychosocial predictor of emergency cesarean section was fear of childbirth (the women with strong fear had a twice higher risk; OR = 2.01; p = 0.021), whereas low maternal self-esteem was marginally significant (OR = 1.68; p = 0.082) in the adjusted analysis. No association between emergency cesarean section and general anxiety, mastery, stress or social support in pregnancy was found. The risk of cesarean section was higher for primiparous women and lower for women who gave birth to a girl.

Conclusion: Fear of childbirth but not general anxiety is associated with a higher risk of emergency cesarean section. The women who experience strong fear of childbirth during pregnancy should be recommended to attend antenatal classes or, in case of extremely severe childbirth fear, to seek psychological counseling.

Keywords:

pregnancy – childbirth – psychosocial aspects – fear of childbirth – cohort studies

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