The Association of the Levels of Perceived Stress With The Preferred Mode of Delivery in Primiparous Women

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived stress and the preferred mode of delivery in primiparous expectant women, 2019. Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional investigation in which the relationship between perceived stress of primiparous women and their preferred mode of delivery was evaluated. The population in this study was all of the primiparous women attending the healthcare centers in Bandar Abbas in 2019, among which, 230 women were sampled through a multi-stage sampling process. Data acquisition was performed via Cohen’s Perceived Stress Questionnaire and a demographic and gynecological information checklist. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 23 and Chi-square, Welch’s t-test, Pearson’s correlation test, one-way and two-way analysis of variance with post-hoc. P <0.05 was considered as the significance. Results: The mean age of the samples was 25.84 ± 5.09 and the majority of participants were unemployed (86.9%), had high school education (50%), had moderate economic status (66.1%), and preferred vaginal delivery as the mode of parturition (75.7%). The mean perceived stress score was 23.14 ± 8.70. The results has shown that there is a statistically significant relationship between the perceived stress score and preferred mode of delivery (p = 0.033), Type of pregnancy (wanted/unwanted; p = 0.029), and economic status (p = 0.004). There was a statistically significant relationship between the preferred mode of delivery and the level of the education of the participants (p = 0.043) and their spouses (p = 0.005), the employment status of the participant (p = 0.005), the number of years that the participants and their spouses were educated (p = 0.001 and p = 0.001). Discussion and conclusion: Women who experience this type of pregnancy require higher levels of social support. In addition, there is a need for proper educative programs that would inform couples of the benefits and harms of different delivery.