Identifying women with fear of childbirth with the Dutch Fear of Birth Scale and its added value for consultations
Objectives Determine whether the Fear of Birth Scale (FOBS) is a useful screening instrument for Fear of Childbirth (FoC) and examine the potential added value of screening by analyzing how often pregnant women discuss their FoC during consultation. Methods This cross-sectional survey study included...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2022-10-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0167482X.2021.2013797 |
| _version_ | 1797685824252280832 |
|---|---|
| author | I. den Boer Y. M. G. A. Hendrix H. Knoop M. G. van Pampus |
| author_facet | I. den Boer Y. M. G. A. Hendrix H. Knoop M. G. van Pampus |
| author_sort | I. den Boer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives Determine whether the Fear of Birth Scale (FOBS) is a useful screening instrument for Fear of Childbirth (FoC) and examine the potential added value of screening by analyzing how often pregnant women discuss their FoC during consultation. Methods This cross-sectional survey study included nulliparous pregnant women of all gestational ages, recruited via the internet, hospital and midwifery practices. The online questionnaires included the FOBS and Wijma Delivery Expectations Questionnaire version A (W-DEQ A). The latter was used as golden standard for assessing FoC (cutoff: ≥85). Results Of the 364 included women, 67 (18.4%) had FoC according to the W-DEQ A. Using the FOBS with a cutoff score of ≥49, the sensitivity was 82.1% and the specificity 81.1%, with 111 (30.5%) women identified as having FoC. Positive predictive value was 49.5% and negative predictive value 95.3%. Of the women with FoC (FOBS ≥49), 68 (61.3%) did not discuss FoC with their caregiver. Conclusion The FOBS is a useful screening instrument for FoC. A positive score must be followed by further assessment, either by discussing it during consultation or additional evaluation with the W-DEQ A. The majority of pregnant women with FoC do not discuss their fears, underscoring the need for screening. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T00:56:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2d4e4dccf3844e0a884f4665b6a5be35 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0167-482X 1743-8942 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T00:56:56Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology |
| spelling | doaj.art-2d4e4dccf3844e0a884f4665b6a5be352023-09-14T12:44:02ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology0167-482X1743-89422022-10-0143441942510.1080/0167482X.2021.20137972013797Identifying women with fear of childbirth with the Dutch Fear of Birth Scale and its added value for consultationsI. den Boer0Y. M. G. A. Hendrix1H. Knoop2M. G. van Pampus3Department of Medical Psychology, Ziekenhuis Gelderse ValleiDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, OLVGDepartment of Medical Psychology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Public Health Research InstituteDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, OLVGObjectives Determine whether the Fear of Birth Scale (FOBS) is a useful screening instrument for Fear of Childbirth (FoC) and examine the potential added value of screening by analyzing how often pregnant women discuss their FoC during consultation. Methods This cross-sectional survey study included nulliparous pregnant women of all gestational ages, recruited via the internet, hospital and midwifery practices. The online questionnaires included the FOBS and Wijma Delivery Expectations Questionnaire version A (W-DEQ A). The latter was used as golden standard for assessing FoC (cutoff: ≥85). Results Of the 364 included women, 67 (18.4%) had FoC according to the W-DEQ A. Using the FOBS with a cutoff score of ≥49, the sensitivity was 82.1% and the specificity 81.1%, with 111 (30.5%) women identified as having FoC. Positive predictive value was 49.5% and negative predictive value 95.3%. Of the women with FoC (FOBS ≥49), 68 (61.3%) did not discuss FoC with their caregiver. Conclusion The FOBS is a useful screening instrument for FoC. A positive score must be followed by further assessment, either by discussing it during consultation or additional evaluation with the W-DEQ A. The majority of pregnant women with FoC do not discuss their fears, underscoring the need for screening.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0167482X.2021.2013797fear of childbirthscreeningpregnancywijma delivery expectations questionnaire version a (w-deq a)fear of birth scale (fobs) |
| spellingShingle | I. den Boer Y. M. G. A. Hendrix H. Knoop M. G. van Pampus Identifying women with fear of childbirth with the Dutch Fear of Birth Scale and its added value for consultations Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology fear of childbirth screening pregnancy wijma delivery expectations questionnaire version a (w-deq a) fear of birth scale (fobs) |
| title | Identifying women with fear of childbirth with the Dutch Fear of Birth Scale and its added value for consultations |
| title_full | Identifying women with fear of childbirth with the Dutch Fear of Birth Scale and its added value for consultations |
| title_fullStr | Identifying women with fear of childbirth with the Dutch Fear of Birth Scale and its added value for consultations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identifying women with fear of childbirth with the Dutch Fear of Birth Scale and its added value for consultations |
| title_short | Identifying women with fear of childbirth with the Dutch Fear of Birth Scale and its added value for consultations |
| title_sort | identifying women with fear of childbirth with the dutch fear of birth scale and its added value for consultations |
| topic | fear of childbirth screening pregnancy wijma delivery expectations questionnaire version a (w-deq a) fear of birth scale (fobs) |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0167482X.2021.2013797 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT idenboer identifyingwomenwithfearofchildbirthwiththedutchfearofbirthscaleanditsaddedvalueforconsultations AT ymgahendrix identifyingwomenwithfearofchildbirthwiththedutchfearofbirthscaleanditsaddedvalueforconsultations AT hknoop identifyingwomenwithfearofchildbirthwiththedutchfearofbirthscaleanditsaddedvalueforconsultations AT mgvanpampus identifyingwomenwithfearofchildbirthwiththedutchfearofbirthscaleanditsaddedvalueforconsultations |