Psychological Perspectives on Fear of Childbirth

Abstract

The current review aims to shed light on the psychology of tokophobia (fear of childbirth) with an emphasis on its etiology, as well as its physiological, cognitive and behavioral aspects for suffering women/mothers. Findings from the most recent reviewed articles support the perspective that its etiology is attributed to the way the woman’s/mother's personality is structured and organized, the comorbidity with anxiety or depressive disorders, the possibly unfavorable family and/or social environment, the poor emotional husband support, the possible history of abuse, as well as any previous traumatic child delivery experience. At the same time, other factors such as family finances, the woman’s/mother’s age and emotional maturity, the degree to which the gestation was desired, and the woman’s/mother’s education on labor and motherhood are also proven to significantly contribute to the gradual psychological construction of that specific type of phobia. The variety of the primary articles reviewed makes any further conclusions hard to draw. Nevertheless, these endless and unjustifiable vicious circles of fear of childbirth seem to be a major concern for scientists and psychologists to further investigate. The following factors should be investigated in future research for their potential impact on the development of fear of childbirth: 1) the neurobiology of pregnancy and childbirth, 2) the woman’s personality, 3) the hormonal and biochemical factors, and 4) the influence of social and mass media on fear of childbirth.