Sakarya University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Midwifery, Sakarya, Turkey.
Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2023 Jun;285:115-122. doi: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2023.04.009. Epub 2023 Apr 21.
Pregnancy may be a cause of fear for some women. Fear of pregnancy is a woman's belief that her health or life may get worse due to pregnancy. This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable instrument to measure fear of pregnancy in women, and determine the effect of lifestyle on fear of pregnancy.
This study was conducted in three phases. For the first phase, item generation and selection were made through qualitative interviews and literature review. In the second phase, items were administered to 398 women of reproductive age. The scale development phase was completed with exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency analysis. In the third phase, the Fear of Pregnancy Scale was developed, and was administered, together with the Lifestyle Scale, to women of reproductive age (n = 748).
The Fear of Pregnancy Scale was found to be a valid and reliable instrument for women of reproductive age. Perfectionism, control and self-esteem lifestyles were found to influence fear of pregnancy. Furthermore, fear of pregnancy was significantly more common in primiparous women and women with insufficient information about pregnancy.
This study found that fear of pregnancy was moderate and varied with lifestyle. Factors associated with fear of pregnancy that remain unspoken, and how they affect women's lives are not yet known. Evaluation of fear of pregnancy in women can be an important step in showing adaptation to future pregnancy, and revealing its effects on reproductive health.
怀孕可能会令一些女性感到恐惧。对怀孕的恐惧是指女性认为怀孕可能会使自身健康或生命状况恶化。本研究旨在开发一种有效且可靠的工具来测量女性对怀孕的恐惧，并确定生活方式对怀孕恐惧的影响。
本研究分三个阶段进行。第一阶段通过定性访谈和文献回顾生成和选择项目。第二阶段，对 398 名育龄妇女进行了项目评估。在探索性因子分析和内部一致性分析的基础上，完成了量表开发阶段。第三阶段，开发了怀孕恐惧量表，并对育龄妇女（n=748）进行了量表评估。
研究发现，怀孕恐惧量表对育龄妇女是一种有效且可靠的工具。完美主义、控制和自尊的生活方式会影响对怀孕的恐惧。此外，初产妇和对怀孕信息了解不足的妇女中，对怀孕的恐惧更为常见。
本研究发现，对怀孕的恐惧程度处于中等水平，且会随生活方式的变化而变化。目前仍不清楚与怀孕恐惧相关的、尚未言明的因素，以及它们如何影响女性的生活。对女性怀孕恐惧的评估可能是对未来怀孕做出适应的重要一步，也有助于揭示其对生殖健康的影响。
