The relationship between spiritual intelligence and fear of childbirth in low-risk pregnant women

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Pregnancy in the lifetime of any woman sometimes comes with stress and extreme fears, despite the enjoyment of motherhood. Since spirituality can be associated with stress and fear during this period, this study was conducted to determine the relationship between spiritual intelligence and fear of delivery in low -risk pregnant women. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 220 pregnant women who were selected by convenience sampling method based on a two-step (cluster-convenience) technique. The data were collected using Demographic and Fertility Characteristics Questionnaire, King’s 24-item Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory (score range of 0-96), and 16-item Fear of Childbirth Questionnaire (score range of 14-56). FINDINGS: The results of this study showed that the mean score of subjects regarding the fear of childbirth was 40.5±6.73, and the overall score of spiritual intelligence was 55.40±8.33. There was a significant negative correlation between spiritual intelligence and fear of childbirth. Therefore, the higher the spiritual intelligence of the pregnant mother, the lower the fear of childbirth (p=0.025, r= -0.163). CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, it can be said that high spiritual intelligence in pregnant women can reduce the fear of childbirth. © 2017, Babol University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.