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Pregnant women's thoughts when assessing fear of birth on the Fear of Birth Scale

Ternström, Elin ; Hildingsson, Ingegerd ; Haines, Helen and Rubertsson, Christine LU (2016) In Women and Birth 29(3). p.44-49
Abstract

Background: Fear of childbirth is common during pregnancy but rarely assessed in clinical practice. The Fear of Birth Scale has been proposed as a valid measure suitable for assessing fear of birth in an antenatal clinical context. To make sure that the scale makes sense in relation to the known constructs of fear of birth, it is important to find out what women think when responding to the Fear of Birth Scale. Aim: To report what women in mid-pregnancy think when assessing fear of birth on the Fear of Birth Scale. Methods: A qualitative design using semi-structured interviews with a think aloud technique was used. Thirty-one women were recruited in gestational week 17-20. Content analysis was conducted to describe the different... (More)

Background: Fear of childbirth is common during pregnancy but rarely assessed in clinical practice. The Fear of Birth Scale has been proposed as a valid measure suitable for assessing fear of birth in an antenatal clinical context. To make sure that the scale makes sense in relation to the known constructs of fear of birth, it is important to find out what women think when responding to the Fear of Birth Scale. Aim: To report what women in mid-pregnancy think when assessing fear of birth on the Fear of Birth Scale. Methods: A qualitative design using semi-structured interviews with a think aloud technique was used. Thirty-one women were recruited in gestational week 17-20. Content analysis was conducted to describe the different dimensions of fear of birth. Findings: Worry was described as unspecific feelings and thoughts, often with a negative loading. Fear was described as a strong feeling connected to something specific. Furthermore, the women thought about aspects that influence their worries and fears and explained the strategies that helped them to cope with their fear of birth. Conclusion: Women could clearly assess, describe, and discuss fear of birth using the Fear of Birth Scale. This supports the use of the Fear of Birth Scale in clinical settings as a starting point for further dialogue about women's fear of birth. The dialogue may identify women's need for information, treatment, and referral when necessary.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
Fear of birth, Fear of Birth Scale (FOBS), Pregnancy, Think aloud, Worry
in
Women and Birth
volume
29
issue
3
pages
44 - 49
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:84950118160
  • pmid:26710973
ISSN
1871-5192
DOI
10.1016/j.wombi.2015.11.009
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
ed598542-792f-49cc-a87d-5fd8380dda78
date added to LUP
2017-10-27 13:40:49
date last changed
2024-07-08 03:37:22
@article{ed598542-792f-49cc-a87d-5fd8380dda78,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: Fear of childbirth is common during pregnancy but rarely assessed in clinical practice. The Fear of Birth Scale has been proposed as a valid measure suitable for assessing fear of birth in an antenatal clinical context. To make sure that the scale makes sense in relation to the known constructs of fear of birth, it is important to find out what women think when responding to the Fear of Birth Scale. Aim: To report what women in mid-pregnancy think when assessing fear of birth on the Fear of Birth Scale. Methods: A qualitative design using semi-structured interviews with a think aloud technique was used. Thirty-one women were recruited in gestational week 17-20. Content analysis was conducted to describe the different dimensions of fear of birth. Findings: Worry was described as unspecific feelings and thoughts, often with a negative loading. Fear was described as a strong feeling connected to something specific. Furthermore, the women thought about aspects that influence their worries and fears and explained the strategies that helped them to cope with their fear of birth. Conclusion: Women could clearly assess, describe, and discuss fear of birth using the Fear of Birth Scale. This supports the use of the Fear of Birth Scale in clinical settings as a starting point for further dialogue about women's fear of birth. The dialogue may identify women's need for information, treatment, and referral when necessary.</p>}},
  author       = {{Ternström, Elin and Hildingsson, Ingegerd and Haines, Helen and Rubertsson, Christine}},
  issn         = {{1871-5192}},
  keywords     = {{Fear of birth; Fear of Birth Scale (FOBS); Pregnancy; Think aloud; Worry}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{44--49}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Women and Birth}},
  title        = {{Pregnant women's thoughts when assessing fear of birth on the Fear of Birth Scale}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2015.11.009}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.wombi.2015.11.009}},
  volume       = {{29}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}