Is Fear of Childbirth Among Iranian Pregnant Women Related to Spiritual Health? A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Fear of childbirth (FOC) affects numerous pregnant women and can negatively impact both maternal and infant health outcomes. Addressing spiritual health is essential in clinical care, as it contributes to overall well-being and may help reduce stress, potentially alleviating FOC. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the relationship between fear of childbirth and spiritual health among 270 pregnant women. Data were collected using the Childbirth Attitude Questionnaire (CAQ) and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS). The participants, with a mean age of 31.02 ± 5.89 years, showed that the majority (75.6%) experienced fear of childbirth. Data indicate that in both dimensions of the spiritual health questionnaire (religious well-being and existential well-being), women with "positive views of their relationship with God" and "a high level of satisfaction and purpose in life" experienced significantly lower fear of childbirth (p < 0.05). In the logistic regression analysis, the predictors of fear of childbirth included existential well-being, family income, and planned pregnancy. The findings emphasize that fear of childbirth remains a crucial concern. Considering the multi-dimensionality of childbirth fear, existential well-being acts as an independent and stable factor in reducing fear of childbirth, but religious well-being does not have a significant effect on fear of childbirth, and its effect may be influenced by other factors.