Antenatal prevalence of fear associated with childbirth and depressed mood in primigravid women.

Aim: To investigate the antenatal prevalence of fear of childbirth and its association with depressed mood in low-risk primigravidae in a referral teaching hospital.

Settings And Design: The study was conducted in a tertiary referral center catering to three districts in the state of Kerala. This was a cross-sectional study with internal comparison of associated factors.

Materials And Methods: Malayalam translation (translation back translation) of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was self-administered by the participants. It was followed by a structured interview based on the International Classification of Diseases 10 (ICD 10) after which the EPDS scale was scored.

Statistical Analysis: Chi-square test was used to compare the presence of fear in women with a EPDS of ≥ 12 and the association of fear and depression.

Results: Fear associated with childbirth was expressed by 17.7% women. The prevalence of depressed mood based on the EPDS (score > 12) was 9.8% but based on the ICD 10 criteria, the prevalence of depression was 8.7%. A significant number of women with depressed mood and clinical depression had fear of childbirth of some sort.

Conclusions: A significant number of primigravid women with depressed mood and clinical depression had fear of childbirth of some sort.