Predictors of Negative Childbirth Experiences Among French Women

To describe the prevalence of negative childbirth experiences and to identify potential predictors, including demographic, prenatal, obstetric, and psychological factors, of these experiences among French women.

Descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study.

A maternity ward in a hospital located near Paris, France.

A total of 256 women between the ages of 18 and 46 years were recruited while hospitalized in the maternity ward 1 to 6 days after childbirth.

Participants completed a personal information form and five self-report scales: the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Relationship Scales Questionnaire, and the Questionnaire Assessing the Childbirth Experience. We performed linear regression analyses and used scores on the Questionnaire Assessing the Childbirth Experience as the dependent variable. We considered prenatal, psychological, and obstetric factors as independent variables and adjusted results for covariates.

The prevalence of a negative childbirth experience was 23.3% among our participants. We identified primiparity, high anxiety trait scores, and an anxious attachment style as the prenatal variables that contributed significantly to negative perceptions of childbirth based on the first step of the regression analysis (R² = .18; p < .001). We evaluated objective birth-related variables during the second step and found that mode of birth and use of epidural analgesia were significative predictors of the negative childbirth experience (R² = 0.36; p < .001). The last set of variables included subjective birth-related factors, such as absence of the partner during birth and low perceived sense of control; these variables increased the explained variance from 36% to 69% (p < .001) and showed that these aspects were powerful predictors of a negative childbirth experience.

Given that some prenatal factors influence women's perceptions of their birth experiences, preventive measures can be implemented by health professionals to support women with risk factors. In the early postpartum period, health care professionals should focus on subjective variables of childbirth because they strongly predict the overall childbirth experience for women.