TITLE:
Does Antenatal Fear of Childbirth Predict Postnatal Fear of Childbirth? A Study of Japanese Women
AUTHORS:
Mizuki Takegata, Megumi Haruna, Masayo Matsuzaki, Mie Shiraishi, Tadaharu Okano, Elisabeth Severinsson
KEYWORDS:
Antenatal Fear of Childbirth, Japanese Women, Postnatal Fear of Childbirth, Relationship
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.5 No.2,
February
17,
2015
ABSTRACT: The study aimed to determine whether antenatal fear of childbirth (expectation) could predict postnatal fear of childbirth (experience) by taking account of other antenatal psychological variables (anxiety and depression) as well as birth outcomes in Japanese women. A longitudinal observational study was conducted at a clinic in Tokyo, Japan, in 2011. Self-report questionnaires were distributed to 240 Japanese women at 37 gestational weeks (Time 1) and on the second day after delivery (Time 2). Regression analyses by means of structural equation modelling were conducted in both the primiparous and the multiparous group. The models exhibited good fit (chisquare value/degree of freedom = 1.10 - 1.62, comparative fit index = 0.92 - 0.99 and root mean square error of approximation = 0.03 - 0.07). Antenatal fear of childbirth was the most predictive variable of postnatal fear of childbirth in both the primiparous (β = 0.58, p = 0.002) and the multiparous group (β = 0.62, p