Medo do parto no período puerperal

Abstract

Background: Fear of Childbirth (FOC) is referred as an unreasonable fear of the coming birth and affects mental health of several women on puerperal pregnancy cycle. The most widely used research instrument currently, is the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire, which has been translated into several languages and can be applied both at gestational and postpartum period, versions A e B, respectively. The present study aimed to perform a cross-cultural adaptation of the questionnaire’s version B in Brazilian Portuguese, and then, apply the instrument on a sample of puerperal Brazilian women. Study Design: We conducted a cross-sectional study encompassing a process of cross-cultural adaptation of the WDEQ-B in Portuguese of Brazil and applied the instrument on 186 puerperal women, hospitalized on three public maternities. Sociodemographic, Clinicalobstetrics information and perception of social support, were also evaluated, and its relation to severe FOC was assessed. Results: We performed a cross-cultural adaptation of the WDEQ-B, with reasonable match from the original instrument and broadly comprehensible by the participants. The prevalence of FOC found on our sample was 7.54% (14). Low educational level showed to be a protective factor to severe FOC, prevalence ratio = 0.24 (CI 95%: 0.07 – 0.85; p = 0.03). Perception of low social support (prevalence ratio 3.83, CI 95%: 1.40 – 10.51; p < 0.01), disagreement between initially desired and actual type delivery (prevalence ratio 4.97, CI 95%: 1.43 – 17.27; p = 0.01) and high obstetric risk (prevalence ratio 6.4. CI 95%: 1.47 –27.91; p = 0.01), showed a positive correlation to severe FOC. Conclusion: We successfully performed a cross-cultural adaptation of a crucial research tool to identify the presence of severe FOC among postpartum women in Brazilian context. The results found, rise several questions about how FOC is depicted in Brazil and how important it is to broaden this field’s knowledge in our population.