Secondary fear of childbirth prolongs the time to subsequent delivery

SYDSJÖ, GUNILLA; ANGERBJÖRN, LOUISE; PALMQUIST, SOFIE; BLADH, MARIE; SYDSJÖ, ADAM; JOSEFSSON, ANN

doi:10.1111/aogs.12034

Cited by 89Maternal and Perinatal Health InterventionsMaternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and PostpartumPregnancy-related medical research

Secondary fear of childbirth prolongs the time to subsequent delivery

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SYDSJÖ, GUNILLA, ANGERBJÖRN, LOUISE, PALMQUIST, SOFIE, BLADH, MARIE, SYDSJÖ, ADAM, JOSEFSSON, ANN·2013·Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica

DOI 10.1111/aogs.12034

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Abstract

Objective. Most pregnant women are anxious about the delivery and up to 30% develop varying degrees of fear of childbirth (FOC). Secondary FOC occurs in parous women who have experienced a traumatic delivery. The aim of this study was to investigate the time to subsequent delivery and delivery outcome in women with secondary FOC, compared with a reference group. Setting. Southeast Sweden. Sample. 356 parous pregnant women with secondary FOC and a reference group of 634 parous women without FOC. Design. Descriptive, retrospective case–control study. Main outcome measures. Time to next pregnancy and delivery outcome. Results. More women with secondary FOC had a longer interval to subsequent delivery compared with parous women without FOC (p = 0.005). Women with secondary FOC had 5.2 times higher probability of having a cesarean section than the reference group. Women with secondary FOC also had on average a 40‐minute longer duration of active labor than women without FOC (p < 0.001). Conclusions. Secondary fear of childbirth prolongs the time to subsequent delivery and the active phase of labor itself, and increases the risk for cesarean section.

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Authors: SYDSJÖ, G., ANGERBJÖRN, L., PALMQUIST, S., BLADH, M., SYDSJÖ, A., & JOSEFSSON, A.
Affiliations: Linköping University (SE)
Corresponding author: SYDSJÖ, GUNILLA
ORCID: SYDSJÖ, GUNILLA
BLADH, MARIE
JOSEFSSON, ANN
Venue: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2012-12-05
Volume: 92
Issue: 2
Pages: 210-214
ISSN: 0001-6349 (ISSN-L)
1600-0412
DOI: 10.1111/aogs.12034
OpenAlex: W2152943500
Cited by: 89
References: 23
Citations by year: 2026: 3 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 4
FWCI: 5.01
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
urn.kb.se
Licence: other-oa
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations: Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica Scandinavica (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
DiVA (Linkoping University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Topics: Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions
Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Pregnancy-related medical research
Keywords: fear of childbirth, parous women, cesarean section, delivery outcomes, interpregnancy interval, traumatic delivery
MeSH terms: Adult, Attitude to Health, Cesarean Section, Fear, Female, Humans, Labor, Obstetric, Labor, Induced, Mothers, Parity, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Outcome, Sweden, Time Factors, Parturition, Young Adult

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Secondary fear of childbirth prolongs the time to subsequent delivery

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