Childbirth fear, anxiety, fatigue, and sleep deprivation in pregnant women.
OBJECTIVE
To explore women's levels of childbirth fear, sleep deprivation, anxiety, and fatigue and their relationships during the third trimester of pregnancy.


METHODS
A cross-sectional descriptive survey of a community sample.


METHODS
Six hundred and fifty English-speaking nulliparous and multiparous women, 17 to 46 years of age and between 35 and 39 weeks gestation, with uncomplicated pregnancies.


METHODS
Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire, Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory, Mindell's Sleep Questionnaire, and the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue Questionnaire.


RESULTS
Twenty-five percent of women reported high levels of childbirth fear and 20.6% reported sleeping less than 6 hours per night. Childbirth fear, fatigue, sleep deprivation, and anxiety were positively correlated. Fewer women attending midwives reported severe fear of childbirth than those attending obstetricians. Women with high childbirth fear were more likely to have more daily stressors, anxiety, and fatigue, as well as less help. Higher levels of anxiety predicted higher levels of childbirth fear among women.


CONCLUSIONS
One fourth of women reported high childbirth fear. Women's fear of childbirth was related to fatigue, available help, stressors, and anxiety. Fear of childbirth appears to be part of a complex picture of women's emotional experiences during pregnancy.
Hall
Wendy A
WA
University of British Columbia School of Nursing, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Wendy.hall@nursing.ubc.ca
Hauck
Yvonne L
YL
Carty
Elaine M
EM
Hutton
Eileen K
EK
Fenwick
Jennifer
J
Stoll
Kathrin
K
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001955:British Columbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005221:Fatigue / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D036801:Parturition / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires