Work

The relationship between delivery fear and childbirth experience with the level of adherence to the WHO recommendations for a positive childbirth experience in Iranian women: a cross-sectional study

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Childbirth experience is a unique event that involves psychological and physiological aspects influenced by social, environmental, organizational, and political factors. In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced 56 recommendations for ensuring a positive childbirth experience at different stages of labor and delivery. Owing to the importance of implementing these guidelines, we have chosen to assess adherence to the WHO recommendations and their association with the fear and experience of childbirth. This cross-sectional study was conducted on women hospitalized in the labor departments of the Al-Zahra and Taleghani Educational centers in Tabriz, Iran from 2023 to 2024. Sampling was performed via a convenience method, and data were collected via sociodemographic characteristics questionnaire, childbirth experience questionnaire.2 (CEQ.2), delivery fear scale (DFS), and the WHO recommendation checklist. The data were analyzed via Pearson correlation, independent t tests, one-way analysis of variance, and a general linear model (GLM). The average adherence score to the WHO recommendations among the women studied was 36.4 (SD 9.3), out of a range of 0–56. There was a significant negative correlation between adherence to the recommendations and delivery fear (r = − 0.249; p < 0.001) and a significant positive correlation with childbirth experience (r = 0.414; p < 0.001). The GLM results, after adjusting for sociodemographic variables, revealed a significant increase in positive childbirth experience with increasing adherence score (B = 0.01; 95% CI 0.005 to 0.02, p = 0.001) and a nonsignificant association between delivery fear and adherence score (B = − 0.1; 95% CI − 0.4 to 0.04, p = 0.114). This study highlights the need to improve the implementation of WHO recommendations in educational and therapeutic centers and to consider various factors that affect the experience and fear of childbirth. Policymakers and medical center managers should place greater emphasis on training, monitor the complete implementation of the recommendations, and provide psychological and social support to pregnant women. This approach can help improve the childbirth experience, reduce delivery fear, and increase the preference for natural childbirth. Childbirth is an important life event that can be influenced by various factors, such as a woman’s social environment and the care she receives. In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued 56 recommendations to ensure women have positive childbirth experiences. This study focused on how well these guidelines were followed in two hospitals in Tabriz, Iran, and explored the relationship between guideline adherence, fear of childbirth, and the overall childbirth experience. We collected data from women who gave birth in 2023 and 2024. Surveys measured their fear of childbirth, their experience during labor, and how well the WHO recommendations were followed. Our findings showed that when the hospitals followed more of the WHO guidelines, women had better childbirth experiences and less fear. However, the impact on reducing fear was less clear. This study suggests that better implementation of the WHO guidelines in hospitals could improve childbirth experiences and reduce fear, potentially encouraging more women to opt for natural childbirth. Hospitals should prioritize training, monitoring, and providing emotional and social support for pregnant women to achieve these improvements.

Source: Reproductive Health

DOI: 10.1186/s12978-024-01921-y