Forbes-McKay Katrina E, Tabib Mo, Humphrey Tracy
School of Law and Social Science, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK.
School of Health, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK.
J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol. 2025 Dec;46(1):2527658. doi: 10.1080/0167482X.2025.2527658. Epub 2025 Jul 4.
Whilst the negative impact of fear of childbirth (FOC) is well established, there is limited understanding of the factors that reduce it. This study, aimed to explore the relationship between positive mental well-being, childbirth self-efficacy, and FOC during pregnancy through a Salutogenic lens. Using a cross-sectional design, 88 pregnant women recruited from a public hospital in North East Scotland completed an online survey including the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS), Childbirth Self-Efficacy Inventory (CBSEI), and Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ). The sample scored a mean of 50.36 on WEMWBS, 84.63 for efficacy-expectancy, 127.00 for efficacy-outcome on CBSEI, and 62.19 on W-DEQ. Twelve per cent exhibited a severe FOC. FOC was negatively correlated with mental well-being, childbirth self-efficacy expectancy, and self-efficacy outcome. Multiple regression analysis indicated that higher mental well-being (β = -0.39, p < 0.001) was the strongest predictor of lower FOC. The findings highlights the important role of positive mental well-being and childbirth self-efficacy in reducing FOC, and suggest a need for antenatal education targeted at mastering childbirth techniques and enhancing positive emotions, sense of purpose, and meaning. These findings align with global health priorities by emphasizing the importance of antenatal care that supports and promotes both physical and mental well-being.
虽然分娩恐惧（FOC）的负面影响已得到充分证实，但对减轻这种恐惧的因素却知之甚少。本研究旨在从健康促进的角度探讨孕期积极心理健康、分娩自我效能感与分娩恐惧之间的关系。采用横断面设计，从苏格兰东北部一家公立医院招募的88名孕妇完成了一项在线调查，包括沃里克-爱丁堡心理健康量表（WEMWBS）、分娩自我效能量表（CBSEI）和维伊玛分娩期望/体验问卷（W-DEQ）。样本在WEMWBS上的平均得分为50.36，在CBSEI上的效能期望得分为84.63，效能结果得分为127.00，在W-DEQ上的得分为62.19。12%的人表现出严重的分娩恐惧。分娩恐惧与心理健康、分娩自我效能期望和自我效能结果呈负相关。多元回归分析表明，更高的心理健康水平（β = -0.39，p < 0.001）是降低分娩恐惧的最强预测因素。研究结果凸显了积极心理健康和分娩自我效能感在减轻分娩恐惧方面的重要作用，并表明需要开展以掌握分娩技巧、增强积极情绪、目标感和意义感为目标的产前教育。这些研究结果通过强调支持和促进身心健康的产前护理的重要性，与全球卫生重点保持一致。
