Home birth and hospital deliveries: A comparison of the perceived painfulness of parturition (original) (raw)
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Psychological Correlates of Childbirth Pain
Psychosomatic Medicine, 1974
The purpose of this study was to determine why childbirth pain and the childbirth experience are reported to vary so vastly. The correlation and relative contribution of eleven psychological and background variables to six childbirth outcome measures were investigated. Predictor variables included natural childbirth training, age, gravida, education, menstrual pain, first menstrual experience, sexual desire, wanting husband to be present, medication expectation, and general overt reaction to pain. The six criteria variables are labor length, behavior, medication amount, self-report of pain, childbirth description, and testimony. Findings indicated that the most important factors contributing to childbirth outcome were: training, attitudes toward childbirth, reaction to pain in general, medication expectation, and desire for husband's presence. Childbirth training did not contribute to the variance of labor length, self-report of pain, or childbirth description. None of the predictors influenced selfreport of pain. The underlying factor involved in contributing to a positive childbirth experience appears to be the woman's desire to be an active participant in her labor and delivery.
Psychological Factors in Experience of Pain During Childbirth
Collegium antropologicum, 2015
Pain during delivery is unique because it is accompanied by powerful emotions. Emotions that occur in women during labor and delivery are closely tied to upbringing and culture in which they were raised and consequently with the sensation of experienced pain. According to the Melzack-Wall Theory of Pain, general mood is directly related to the intensity and quality of pain and it is therefore justifiable to presuppose that certain psychosocial factors will be linked with the intensity and quality of pain experienced during childbirth. (Melzack et al., 1981). We endeavored to show the effect of psychosocial factors that influence the intensity and quality of labor pain. Data was collected in a sample of 176 parturient women who delivered without Cesarean sections or epidural anesthesia. The intensity and quality of pain were obtained through the administration of the McGill Pain Questionnaire-Short Form. Psychosocial factors included: number of births, presence of partner, self-evalu...
Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2011
Background: It is thought that pain cognitions determine coping behavior and success in adapting to labor. The aim of this study was to examine whether pain cognitions assessed by the labor pain coping and cognition list (LPCCL) predict the request for pain relief during the first stage of labor and which pain cognition is the strongest predictor of a request for pain relief over and above, and independent of, other pain cognitions. Methods: Participants in this prospective study were 177 low-risk nulliparous pregnant women. Data were collected on two different occasions. The numerical pain intensity scale (NPS)-anticipated and the LPCCL were administered at 34-36 weeks' gestation followed by the NPS-during labor. Results: Catastrophizing and external pain control predicted the request for pain relief during labor after adjustment for relevant demographic and clinical characteristics, respectively (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.61 [95% CI 1.45-4.68] and adjusted OR 1.90 [95% CI 1.16-3.10]). Catastrophizing was found to be the strongest and independent predictor among the pain cognitions while controlling for significant background variables (adjusted OR 2.61 p-value < 0.001). Conclusion: Catastrophizing seems to have a substantial impact on the request for pain relief in low-risk pregnant women.
Labor Pain: Perception of the Parturient and Midwife Evaluation
American Journal of Nursing Science
Labor pain is an organic response which is important to make a correct assessment. Human evolution brought some modifications to the human body and as a consequence, labor pain is a major concern for women and simultaneously a professional matter for midwives. The aim of this study is to describe the perception of labor pain by the parturient and its evaluation by midwives of these episodes. A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design was used. Non-parametric methods were applied because the sample obtained was not normal. The study was based on two convenience samples, totaling 164 parturients and 18 nurses. The visual analogue scale (VAS) was applied. Data were collected from 575 pain episodes. The age and parity of the parturient are not associated statistically with the intensity of labor pain at the time of hospital admission, as well as the presence of a companion. The level of pain mentioned by the parturients is significantly higher than indicated by the evaluation of the midwives. Midwives with between 6-10 and 11-15 years in practice assess pain at lower levels than nurses with 1-5 or 16-20 years in practice. Conclusions: The midwives underestimate labor pain. It is important to develop greater accuracy in assessing labor pain. Midwives can provide the stronger support if they do a correct evaluation of parturient's pain.
Women's experience of pain during childbirth
Midwifery, 1998
Objective: to describe women's experience of pain during childbirth.Design: a qualitative study using a phenomenological approach. Data were collected by tape-recorded interviews.Setting: an Alternative Birth Care Centre at a university hospital in Sweden in 1995.Participants: nine women, four primiparous and five multiparous who were two to four days post delivery.Key findings: four themes were identified in the meanings of experience: (I) pain is hard to describe and is contradictory; (2) trust in oneself and one's body; (3) trust in the midwife and husband; and (4) transition to motherhood. The essential structure of the studied phenomenon was described as ‘being one's body’, which includes a non-objectifying view of the body, a presence in the delivery process, and a meaning connected to the transition to motherhood.Implications for practice: the women felt that pain was a natural part of the delivery process, and that the strength and power to cope with it came from within the women. A conclusion is that midwives can help birthing women to find their own ability to cope, and should interfere only if the woman asks or if the natural process is disturbed, e.g. by complications. The experience of pain during childbirth, together with the experience of strength during childbirth, gives meaning to the transition to motherhood.
Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 2012
This cross-sectional study compared cognitive-related variables for caesarean delivery in a private and public hospital in Tehran and assessed their association with maternal preference for delivery mode. A sample of 300 pregnant women in their final trimester of uncomplicated pregnancy was recruited from 1 private and 1 public hospital. They completed the Fear of Pain, Childbirth Attitude and the Pain Catastrophizing Scale questionnaires, and their sociodemographic data and delivery preference were recorded. Maternal preference for caesarean delivery was significantly higher in women in the private hospital, and they were significantly more likely to fear pain and childbirth than those in the public hospital; however, both were equally likely to catastrophize in painful situations. Women's preference for caesarean delivery in both hospitals was significantly associated with all the cognitive factors. Other factors are likely to contribute to the difference in caesarean delivery in the private and public hospital.
Childbirth Pain Perception and Behaviour: Socio-Cultural Diversity
Abstract: The study examined the socio – cultural diversities of childbirth pain perception and behaviour among women. The population of the study was postpartum mothers. The sample was 202 women who breastfeed selected by purposive sampling technique from hospitals and health centres within 48 hours after childbirth. One research question and three null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The instrument used for data collection was Questionnaire on Childbirth Pain Perception and Behaviour (QCPPB). Spearman Rank Order Correlation Coefficient (rho) was used to answer the research question while Chi – Sqaure test and Mann-Whitney- U test were employed in testing the null hypotheses at 0.01 level of significance. The results showed that birth location preference, parity and religious affiliation exert significant influence on childbirth pain perception and behaviour. Keywords: Childbirth; Pain; Perception; Behaviour
The Relationship between Fear of Childbirth and Women’s Knowledge about Painless Childbirth
Obstetrics and Gynecology International, 2014
This study investigated the association between fear of childbirth (FOC) and women’s knowledge about painless childbirth methods. The study was performed on 900 multiparous women within the last month of pregnancy. Data was obtained through a questionnaire including the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ) Turkish form A. FOC was defined as W-DEQ sum score ≥85. Women were questioned about their knowledge about painless childbirth and the most important source of this knowledge. Group 1 consists of participants with knowledge about painless childbirth. Group 2 consists of participants without knowledge about painless childbirth. Five hundred and twenty-four women (58.2%) had knowledge while 376 women (41.7%) had no knowledge about painless childbirth. Mean W-DEQ scores in group 1 (68.46±12.53) were found to be lower than group 2 (71.35±12.28) (P=0.001). FOC was associated with increased maternal request for elective caesarean section (OR 4.22, 95% CI 2.91–6.11)....
SpringerPlus, 2016
The present study was aimed to assess the relationship between pain expectation before labour, labour pain and pain perception after the labour. Pregnant women were asked to rate their pain level on a standard continuous visual analogue scale at various time points. Pain expectancy (PE), labour pain (LP) and postpartum pain perception (PPP) scores were calculated. The final study group was composed of 230 pregnant women after exclusions. Mean age of pregnant women was 26.2 ± 5.79. The mean PE, LP, and PPP scores were 70.11 ± 18.82, 75.72 ± 19.2 and 65.84 ± 19.56, respectively. The difference among pain scores was statistically significant (p < 0.001). There was a positive correlation between PE and LP or PE and PPP scores (p = 0.27 and p = 0.21). The correlations were statistically significant (p = 0.01 or p = 0.01). In addition, there was a positive correlation between LP and PPP scores (p = 0.87) and the correlation was statistically significant (p = 0.01). This study showed that, if pregnant women had lower expectations of pain before the labour, they indeed experienced lower amount of pain during the labour.
European Journal of Anaesthesiology, 2007
Background: Labor pain has a sensory and an affective component. This study was undertaken to evaluate whether the quality and intensity of the cognitive descriptors of labor pain may be influenced by parity and stage of labor. Methods: One hundred and eighty-four parturients were divided into four groups according to parity (nulliparous and multiparous women) and stage of labor (early and late) and were given a modified version of the short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire that included the 23 most frequently reported labor pain descriptors. In addition, parturients were asked to report intensity of pain on a visual analogue pain scale and using the present pain intensity index. Results: The most frequent descriptors used were