Anxiety Disorders in Pregnant Women and its Effects on Choosing the Delivery Method

Cesarean section is usually limited to cases where natural childbirth is not possible or is associated with serious risks to the fetus and mother. In the past few years, cesarean section has become a preferred method of delivery among women who are not medically indicated for the procedure. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety in pregnant women and its relationship with choosing delivery methods and other demographic parameters.

In this study, 300 mothers referring to the hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences were selected by convenience sampling. The medical history of all patients was obtained, and the Beck questionnaire was used to determine the levels of anxiety.

57% of mothers chose cesarean section as the method of delivery and the frequency of mild, moderate, and severe anxiety was estimated to be 36.33%, 19.33%, and 2.33%, respectively. It was seen that the preference for cesarean section was associated with higher levels of anxiety, higher education, older age, having a history of previous abortion, first pregnancy, and a gestation period of over 28 weeks.

Due to the high prevalence of cesarean section in our country and its progress to higher percentages, it seems that the design and implementation of effective programs and interventions, including providing painless delivery, education, and psychological interventions.