Health, Spirituality and Medical Ethics (Dec 2022)
Analyzing the Relationship Between Spiritual Well-being and Fear of Childbirth in Pregnant Women
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Fear of childbirth is a psychological reaction that depends on various reasons during labor. This study aims to investigate the relationship between spiritual well-being and fear of childbirth in pregnant women referred to the public hospitals of Urmia City, Iran, in 2020. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 300 pregnant women who referred to public hospitals in Urmia city, Iran, via the available sampling method. Data collection tools included a questionnaire regarding demographic and obstetrics information, the fear of childbirth questionnaire by Wijma and Rose (1988), and the spiritual well-being questionnaire by Paloutzian and Ellison (1983). The data were analyzed via SPSS software, version 16. Meanwhile, the independent t-test, analysis of variance, and the Pearson correlation index were analyzed at a significance level of 0.05. Results: The results demonstrated a meaningful statistical relationship between education level, occupation, income, owning a house, religious beliefs, number of miscarriages, marital satisfaction, and the lack of previous treatment for sterility with spiritual well-being and fear of childbirth (P<0.05). Additionally, all aspects of spiritual well-being, such as religious well-being and existential well-being showed a statistically significant positive relationship with fear of childbirth (P<0.0001). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, higher spiritual well-being is accompanied by reduced fear of childbirth. Accordingly, considering programs to improve the spiritual well-being of pregnant women can alleviate one of the stressful and major difficulties of this population.
