Primary Fears of Childbirth of Couples Who have not Yet had Children in Türkiye

Objective: This study aims to describe and compare the fear of primary childbirth (FOC) among women and partners who have not yet experienced childbirth according to various demographic characteristics. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between July and August 2020 including couples residing in metropolitan or district regions. The 289 participants had the age period of 18–35 and had never been pregnant before. The FOC among the couples and their demographic characteristics were compared in terms of readiness for pregnancy, birth, postpartum period, baby care, breastfeeding, and readiness to provide social support in coping with FOC. Individual descriptive forms and the Women and Men Childbirth Fear - Prior to Pregnancy Scale (WCF-PPS/MCF-PPS) were used for evaluation of the responses. Results: The findings of this study reveal that women experience a higher level of fear of childbirth compared to men. The fear of childbirth among women was slightly above average, while it was at a moderate level among men. No significant relationship was found between the WCF-PPS/MCF-PPS scores and FOC scores of women and men (p>.05). WCF-PPS/MCF-PPS and FOC scores were not found to differ significantly based on age, place of residence, income level, or educational status (p>.05). Also ıt was found to have a significant impact on WCF-PPS/MCF-PPS scores at a 0.05 significance level. Specifically, a one-unit increase in the score for FOC question 4 was associated with a 0.864-unit increase in the WCF-PPS/MCF-PPS score. Conclusion: The study reveals that no significant difference was found between men and women in terms of fear of childbirth and the level of FOC was found to be moderate among couples. This study reveals that couples who have never had children yet need more information about the pregnancy and birth process. Incorporating the FOC criteria into the content of pre-pregnancy and pre-conception counselling as well as providing information packages to couples can help to reduce pre-pregnancy FOC. Providing information to this population that is individualized and culturally sensitive may ensure that this information is more internalized by couples.