Fears during pregnancy. An interview study of 200 postpartum women.
Within 48 hr of delivery, 200 women were questioned about their fears and anxieties during pregnancy. Fears during pregnancy were reported by 81% of the mothers; 52% reported fears about the birth of a malformed child, 29% about a mentally defective child and 28% about the death of the child. Differences were found in the incidence of fears and superstitions in relation to ethnic group, educational background and parity. The results are similar to those of the British study conducted by the Royal College of Midwives in 1966.
D000013:Congenital Abnormalities; D003643:Death; D004493:Education; D005006:Ethnicity; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability; D007585:Jews; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications; D010146:Pain; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D013483:Superstitions