The Relationship between Fear of Childbirth and the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy among Young Unmarried Women

Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the relationship between fear of childbirth among young unmarried women and their desire to avoid pregnancy. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out using a web-based survey shared with young unmarried women through young unmarried women’s groups on social media and communication platforms (WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, etc.). The sample of the study consisted of 551 women who voluntarily agreed to fill out the survey. To collect the data, a Personal Information Form, the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy (DAP) Scale, and the Childbirth Fear - Prior to Pregnancy Scale (CF-PPS) were used. Results: According to the results of the study, there was a positive, weak, and statistically significant relationship between CF-PPS and DAP (p<0.001). It was found that the participants had moderate levels of fear of childbirth and moderate levels of desire to avoid pregnancy. Additionally, it was determined that the fear of childbirth and desire to avoid pregnancy levels of the participants who were not working and those who were at or over the age of 24 were the lowest, and the fear of childbirth and desire to avoid pregnancy levels of the participants who had not witnessed/watched childbirth before and those who did not envision their labor were high. Conclusions: Consequently, it was determined that women who experience the fear of childbirth may display behaviors of avoiding pregnancy. Accordingly, it may be argued that reducing the childbirth fear levels of young unmarried women is highly important for their experience of healthy pregnancies. Thus, it is recommended to provide effective counseling for young unmarried women regarding pregnancy and childbirth.