Doğumun Gölgesindeki Korku: Tokofobi ve Ebelik

Fidan T., Kır E.

2. Uluslararası 16. Ulusal Ebelik Öğrenci Kongresi, Karabük, Türkiye, 14 - 16 Mayıs 2026, ss.65-67, (Özet Bildiri)

  • Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Özet Bildiri
  • Basıldığı Şehir: Karabük
  • Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.65-67
  • Yozgat Bozok Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Although pregnancy is a meaningful life period integrated with positive emotions for many women, it may lead to intense stress and pathological levels of fear of childbirth for some women. This clinical condition, defined as tokophobia, is not merely a fear limited to the moment of birth but profoundly affects the woman's pregnancy process, birth preferences, mother-infant attachment, and postpartum mental health. While primary tokophobia is observed in women with no previous birth experience, secondary tokophobia arises from previous negative birth experiences. The causes of fear of childbirth involve a complex interaction of biological (fear of birth pain, complications), psychological (anxiety, past traumas, personality traits), and social (low social support, economic problems, education level) factors.

Tokophobia has significant adverse consequences for maternal and infant health. These include an increased demand for elective cesarean sections, intrauterine growth restriction, low birth weight, preterm birth, increased risk of postpartum depression, and mother-infant attachment and breastfeeding problems. Furthermore, women with fear of childbirth have a fivefold increased risk of experiencing a negative birth experience.

Midwives play a critical role in the management of fear of childbirth. Respectful, empathetic, trauma-informed, and individualized care provided by midwives during this period, when women are most vulnerable, is seen as a fundamental element in reducing fear. The integration of evidence-based interventions such as antenatal education, breathing techniques, cognitive behavioral approaches, yoga, hypnosis, haptotherapy, and art therapy with the midwifery approach strengthens women's perception of self-efficacy regarding birth and supports a positive birth experience. This review aims to present the effects of tokophobia on maternal and infant health, as well as supportive strategies that can be implemented within the framework of the midwifery approach, from a holistic perspective.