gms | German Medical Science

4th International Conference of the German Society of Midwifery Science (DGHWi)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hebammenwissenschaft e. V.

16.02.2018, Mainz

Fear of childbirth (FOC): action orientations, desires and needs of pregnant women – a qualitative-reconstructive study

Meeting Abstract

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  • corresponding author Sabine Striebich - Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Health and Nursing Science, Halle (Saale), Germany

German Association of Midwifery Science. 4th International Meeting of the German Association of Midwifery Science (DGHWi). Mainz, 16.-16.02.2018. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2018. Doc18dghwiP34

doi: 10.3205/18dghwi40, urn:nbn:de:0183-18dghwi401

This is the English version of the article.
The German version can be found at: http://www.egms.de/de/meetings/dghwi2018/18dghwi40.shtml

Published: February 13, 2018

© 2018 Striebich.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. See license information at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.


Outline

Text

Background: Severe fear of childbirth (FOC) during pregnancy is a relevant health problem for women today [1], [2], [3]. Knowledge about women`s orientation patterns regarding their institutionalised and role-based action, theories of every day life and construction of social identities would offer the opportunity to deduce women`s desires and needs regarding professionals` health care and make them available for further research and practice.

Aim/research question: The aim of the study is to reconstruct habituated action schemes of nulliparous and multiparous women with severe fear of childbirth in the light of an institutionalised, risk-centered maternity care in Germany.

Methods: Between June 2016 and January 2017 problem-centered interviews were conducted with twelve pregnant women, who indicated to suffer from severe fear of childbirth and who wanted to give birth in a hospital. The data analysis was performed according to the Documentary Method by Bohnsack [4], [5].

Results: According to the praxeological sociology of knowledge action orientation patterns are presented in three dimensions: realms of societal, interactive conjunctive, and organisational experiences.

Relevance: The study results expend the knowledge about the origin, experience, consequences, and coping with severe fear of childbirth during pregnancy.

Recommendations/conclusions: The study results may inform evidence-based maternity care of pregnant women with severe fear of childbirth.

Ethical criteria and conflict of interests: This research/project was approved by an ethics committee and was financed by third party funds: Forschungsförderung der Hebammengemeinschaftshilfe (HGH), Research Award of the German Society for Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology (DGPFG). There is no conflict of interest.


References

1.
Erikkson C, Jansson L, Hamberg K. Women’s experiences of intense fear related to childbirth investigated in a Swedish qualitative study. Midwifery. 2006; 22: 240–8.
2.
Nilsson C, Lundgren I. Women’s lived experience of fear of childbirth. Midwifery. 2009;25: e1–e9.
3.
Rilby L, Jansson S, Lindblom B, Mærtensson LB. A Qualitative Study of Women’s Feelings About Future Childbirth: Dread and Delight. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2012; 57(2):120-5. DOI: 10.1111/j.1542-2011.2011.00113.x External link
4.
Bohnsack R. Praxeologische Wissenssoziologie. Opladen, Toronto: Barbara Budrich; 2017.
5.
Bohnsack R. Rekonstruktive Sozialforschung: Einführung in qualitative Methoden. Opladen, Toronto: Barbara Budrich; 2014.