The Relationship Between Women's Birth Beliefs and Their Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Pregnancy Avoidance

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the relationship between women's birth beliefs and their depression, anxiety, stress, and pregnancy avoidance.Methods: This web-based study was conducted in Turkey between September 2021 and October 2021. The study was completed with 619 participants. Personal Information Form, Birth Beliefs Scale (BBS), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-Short Form (DASS), and Desire to Avoid Pregnancy (DAP) were used to collect the data.Results: The mean scores of women in the Natural and Medical Process Birth Belief (NPBS/MPBS) were determined as NPBS 4.31±0.68, MPBS 3.65±0.69 respectively. It was determined that there was a weak positive relationship between MPBS and DASS-Depression/Anxiety/Stress, and that this relationship was statistically significant (r=0.107, r=0.081, r=0.100, respectively; p<0.05). That the mean MPBS scores of the women who had a low level of education and a high income and were unemployed, and the women using modern family planning methods were statistically higher (p<0.05).Conclusion: In the study, it was determined that there was a positive relationship between depression, anxiety and stress levels of women who considered birth as a medical process, and that women's medical beliefs about birth affected their education and income levels, employment status and the use of modern family planning.

___

  • 1. Vatansever Z, Okumus H. The Study of Decision Making About the Delivery Type of Pregnant Women. DEUHFED. 2013;6(2):81-87.Retrieved from: https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/deuhfed/issue/46814/587060
  • 2. Alp Yilmaz F, Durgun Ozan Y. "Women's birth beliefs and associated factors in an obstetrics clinic in the Southeastern Anatolian Region of Turkey", J Health Res. 2020;34(4):345-351. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHR-07-2019-0166
  • 3. Cook K, Loomis C. The Impact of Choice and Control on Women's Childbirth Experiences. JPE. 2012;21(3):158–168. https://doi.org/10.1891/1058-1243.21.3.158
  • 4. Ahsun S. Validity and Reliability Study of the Turkish Form of the Birth Beliefs Scale (thesis). Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Health Sciences, Izmir, Turkey, Ege Univ; 2018. Retrieved from: https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/tezDetay.jsp?id=_8YmvCxeooOmaJ2bBFyDLg&no=PC68T3vWexBrnNa9zF4IEg
  • 5. McDevitt-Petrovic O, Kirby K. Assessing the Effectiveness of Brief and Low Intensity Psychological Interventions for Medically Unexplained Symptoms and Health Anxiety: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2020. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.93912
  • 6. Preis H, Chen R, Eisner M, et al. Testing a biopsychosocial model of the basic birth beliefs. Birth. 2018;45(1):79-87. doi: 10.1111/birt.12313.
  • 7. Suwanrath C, Chunuan S, Matemanosak P, et al. Why do pregnant women prefer cesarean birth? A qualitative study in a tertiary care center in Southern Thailand. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2021;21(1):1-6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-020-03525-3
  • 8. Muslu A, Yanikkerem E. Turkish Form Validity and Reliability of the Childbirth Expectations and Experiences Scale. DEUHFED. 2020;13(4):231-244.
  • 9. Haines H, Rubertsson C, Pallant JF, Hildingsson I. Womens' attitudes and beliefs of childbirth and association with birth preference: a comparison of a Swedish and an Australian sample in mid-pregnancy. Midwifery. 2012;28(6):e850-6. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2011.09.011.
  • 10. J. de Winter M, Kyriakidis D, Dodou R. Happee Using crowdflower to study the relationship between self-reported violations and traffic accidents. Procedia Manuf. 2015;3:2518-2525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2015.07.514
  • 11. Preis H, Gozlan M, Dan U, Benyamini Y. A quantitative investigation into women’s basic beliefs about birth and planned birth choices. Midwifery. 2018;63:46-51. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2018. 05.002.
  • 12. Preis H, Benyamini Y. The birth beliefs scale – a new measure to assess basic beliefs about birth. J Psychosom Obstet Gynecol. [Internet] 2017;38(1):73–80. Available at: doi: 10.1080/0167482X.2016.1244180
  • 13. Lovibond SH, Lovibond PF. Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (2nd ed.). Sydney: Psychology Foundation; 1995.
  • 14. 14.Sarıçam H. The psychometric properties of Turkish version of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) in health control and clinical samples. JCBPR. 2018;7(1):19-30. https://doi.org/10.5455/JCBPR.274847
  • 15. Rocca C. H, Ralph L.J, Wilson M, Gould H, Foster D. G. Psychometric Evaluation of an Instrument to Measure Prospective Pregnancy Preferences: The Desire to Avoid Pregnancy Scale. Medical care. 2019;57(2):152–158. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000001048
  • 16. Karataş Okyay E., Güney E, Uçar T. Turkish adaptation of the pregnancy avoidance scale: Validity and reliability study. World Woman Conference–II, Online, Azerbaijan. 11-12 February 2021. (Verbal Presentation).
  • 17. Dinç B, Karataş Okyay E. Women's birth beliefs and affecting factors. Anatolian Journal of Health Research 2021;2(2):57-63. doi : 10.29228/anatoljhr.52200
  • 18. Preis H, Pardo J, Peled Y, Benyamini Y. Changes in the basic birth beliefs following the first birth experience: Self-fulfilling prophecies? PLoS ONE. 2018;13(11):e0208090. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208090
  • 19. Calis G, Ozsoy S.A. Birth at Home Experiences of Women: Phenomenological Study. JEUNF. 2021; 37(1): 23-38. Retrieved from https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/egehemsire/issue/62035/613962
  • 20. WHO Recommendations: Intrapartum Care for a Positive Childbirth Experience. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2018.
  • 21. Hildingsson I, Johansson M, Karlström A, Fenwick J. Factors associated with a positive birth experience: An exploration of Swedish women’s experiences. Int. J. Childbirth. 2013;3:153–164. doi: 10.1891/2156-5287.3.3.153
  • 22. Stadlmayr W, Amsler F, Lemola S, Stein S, Alt M, et al. Memory of childbirth in the second year: the long-term effect of a negative birth experience and its modulation by the perceived intranatal relationship with caregivers. JPOG. 2006;27:211-224. https://doi.org/10.1080/01674820600804276
  • 23. Graham JE, Lobel M, DeLuca RS. Anger after childbirth: An overlooked reaction to postpartum stressors. Psychol Women Q. 2002;26:222–233. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-6402.00061
  • 24. Bell AF, Andersson E. The birth experience and women's postnatal depression: A systematic review. Midwifery. 2016;39:112–123. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2016.04.014
  • 25. Smarandache A, Kim THM, Bohr Y, Tamim H. Predictors of a negative labour and birth experience based on a national survey of Canadian women. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2016;16:114. doi: 10.1186/s12884-016-0903-2
  • 26. Unsal Atan Ş, Ozturk R, Gulec Satir D, Ildan Çalim S, Karaoz Weller B, et al. Relation between mothers’ types of labor, birth interventions, birth experiences and postpartum depression: A multicentre follow-up study. Sex Reprod Healthc. 2018;18:13–18. doi: 10.1016/j.srhc.2018.08.001
  • 27. Smorti M, Ponti L, Pancetti F. A comprehensive analysis of post-partum depression risk factors: The role of socio-demographic, individual, rational, and delivery characteristics. Front. Public Health. 2019;7:295. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2019.00295
  • 28. Gottvall K, Waldenstrom U. Does a traumatic birth experience have an impact on future reproduction? BJOG. 2002;109:254-260. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2002.01200.x
  • 29. Pang MW, Leung TN, Lau T.K, Hang Chung T.K. Impact of first childbirth on changes in women's preference for mofe of delivery: follow-up of a longitudinal observational study. Birth. 2008;35:121-128. doi: 10.1111/j.1523-536X.2008.00225.x