Fear during labor: the impact of sexual abuse in adult life

Our aim was to study the occurrence of extreme fear during labor and its association with previous sexual abuse in adult life. All postpartum women (n=414) in two municipalities in Norway participated in a questionnaire study. Self-reported fear during labor was categorized as no fear/some fear/extreme fear. Sexual abuse was measured by the Abuse Assessment Screen (AAS). Three percent of the women reported extreme fear during labor, 13% some fear and 84% no fear. In total, 12% had been sexually abused as an adult. Among the women with extreme fear during labor, however, one third had a history of sexual abuse in adult life (crude odds ratio 3.7; 95% CI: 1.0-3.7). When controlling for depression in pregnancy, duration of labor and mode of delivery, the adjusted odds ratio for extreme fear during labor was 4.9 (95% CI: 1.2-19.1). The results suggest that women with a history of sexual abuse in adult life have an increased risk of extreme fear during labor.