Relationship between maternal antenatal attachment and traumatic childbirth perception among pregnant women

To examine the relationship between the perception of traumatic birth and maternal attachment in pregnant women.

This descriptive and correlational study recruited 370 pregnant women who applied for an antenatal visit to outpatient clinics of a state hospital. The data were collected using a Personal Information Form, Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS), and Traumatic Birth Perception Scale (TBPS). Data were collected using the face-to-face method. The study was reported according to the STROBE.

The mean total score of MAAS was 75.71 ± 7.72 and the mean TBPS score was 73.21 ± 28.34. Normal birth pain was perceived as "severe" by 38.3% of pregnant women and as "very severe" by 46.1%. It was determined that 29.2% of pregnant women had a "high" level of traumatic birth perception and 14.5% had a "very high" level. A negative correlation was found between the mean scores of MAAS and TBPS of pregnant women. The trimester of pregnancy, listening to the birth story, planned pregnancy, and traumatic birth perception, was a significant predictor of maternal antenatal attachment.

As the maternal antenatal attachment levels of pregnant women increased, their perceptions of traumatic birth decreased.