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Published on: January 27, 2010
The effects of counseling on fear of childbirth
Birgitta Larsson1,2, Annika Karlström3, Christine Rubertsson1
1Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Objective:
To investigate women's experiences of attending existing counseling programs for childbirth-related fear and the effect of this counseling over time.
Design:
A longitudinal survey.
Setting:
Three hospitals in the central north of Sweden.
Sample:
A selected sample of 936 women. Of these, 70 received counseling due to fear of childbirth (study-group).
Methods:
Data were collected with questionnaires 2 months and 1 year after giving birth with background data collected during midpregnancy. Comparisons were made between women with or without counseling. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR) were calculated.
Main Outcome Measures:
Self-reported childbirth fear, experience of counseling, birth experience and preferred mode of birth.
Results:
Women in the counseling group reported higher childbirth fear 1 year after giving birth (OR 5.0, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.6-9.3), they had a more negative birth experience that did not change over time (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2-3.9) and they preferred cesarean section to a greater extent (OR 12.0, 95% CI 5.1-28.1) in the case of another birth. Also, they were more often delivered by planned cesarean section (OR 4.7, 95% CI 2.4-9.1). However, 80% were satisfied with the given support.
Conclusion:
Although women were satisfied with the treatment, this study shows that counseling had a minor effect on fear of childbirth, birth experiences or cesarean section rates. To help women with their fear of childbirth, more effective methods of treatment are needed.
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