Personality traits, childbirth expectations, and childbirth experiences: a prospective study. 2023

Megan S Conrad, and Emily Trachtenberg
Department of Psychology, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ, USA.

The current study investigated the role of multiple psychological factors in predicting women's subjective birthing experiences. An online prospective survey methodology was conducted with women in the US who had never before given birth. Participants (N = 101) completed surveys regarding their personality traits, childbirth fear, and childbirth self-efficacy in their third trimester of pregnancy (range 28-40 weeks gestation). After giving birth (range 5-50 days post birth), participants (N = 58) completed a measure of subjective childbirth experience. Significant correlations were found between personality traits, childbirth fear, childbirth self-efficacy, and subjective childbirth experience. Neuroticism, fear, and self-efficacy were all correlated with childbirth experiences. However, regression analysis indicated that only childbirth fear significantly predicted subjective childbirth experiences. While previous research has looked at the relationships between personality and expectations or personality and experiences separately, the current findings underscore the importance of including all variables in order to get the most effective picture of the relationships among these variables. The results from the current study can inform methods of identifying women at-risk for negative birth expectations and inform interventions aimed at reducing negative childbirth experiences.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009042 Motivation Those factors which cause an organism to behave or act in either a goal-seeking or satisfying manner. They may be influenced by physiological drives or by external stimuli. Incentives,Disincentives,Expectations,Disincentive,Expectation,Incentive,Motivations
D010551 Personality Behavior-response patterns that characterize the individual. Personalities
D011247 Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Gestation,Pregnancies
D011446 Prospective Studies Observation of a population for a sufficient number of persons over a sufficient number of years to generate incidence or mortality rates subsequent to the selection of the study group. Prospective Study,Studies, Prospective,Study, Prospective
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D036801 Parturition The process of giving birth to one or more offspring. Birth,Childbirth,Births,Childbirths,Parturitions
D036861 Delivery, Obstetric Delivery of the FETUS and PLACENTA under the care of an obstetrician or a health worker. Obstetric deliveries may involve physical, psychological, medical, or surgical interventions. Obstetric Delivery,Deliveries, Obstetric,Obstetric Deliveries

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