An international study of fear of childbirth and tocophobia with application in an Irish maternity setting

Abstract

It is normal for women to face childbirth with a degree of apprehension. Women can experience levels of fear from low to severe, phobic fear termed tocophobia. Tocophobia is a severe fear of childbirth which is debilitating for women during pregnancy and can impact their health and well-being. Most women with tocophobia request a Caesarean Section (CS) since they have a phobia of vaginal birth. The last three decades have seen an increased emphasis on fear of childbirth as an important women’s health issue both in research and clinical practice. However, to date, there has been little agreement on the concept and definition of what tocophobia is, how best to measure fear of childbirth and consequently, prevalence. Moreover, there is a dearth of research in relation to fear of childbirth in Ireland; with the majority of research performed in Scandinavia. Various interventions have been trialled, but there is little information about how women experienced the interventions and how the intervention could be improved. Thus, the objective of the present thesis is to provide an in-depth investigation of this (relatively new) research phenomenon and to add to what is known about interventions which have been trialled.