Emotional Intelligence and Fear of Childbirth among Pregnant Women: A Correlational Study | ||||
International Egyptian Journal of Nursing Sciences and Research | ||||
Volume 6, Issue 2, May 2025, Page 270-288 PDF (784.72 K) | ||||
Document Type: Original Article | ||||
DOI: 10.21608/ejnsr.2025.383562.1451 | ||||
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Authors | ||||
Rania Abouzaid Embaby1; Wafaa Ahmed Abu Hashem2; Esraa Mohammed Abd El Aziz3; Fatma Zaghloul Mahmoud ![]() ![]() | ||||
1Maternal and Newborn Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Cairo University, Egypt | ||||
2Lecturer of Psychiatric Health Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Cairo University, Egypt | ||||
3Lecturer of Community Health Nursing- Faculty of Nursing- Zagazig University- Egypt | ||||
4Lecturer of Maternal and Newborn Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Cairo University, Egypt | ||||
Abstract | ||||
When fear of childbirth (FOC) is considered as an obstetrical barrier and hurts women's overall health, having an adequate level of emotional intelligence (EI) among pregnant women can play a pivotal role in controlling these fears. Aim: to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and fear of childbirth among pregnant women. Research design: A descriptive correlational design was used. Setting: outpatient clinics in Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospitals affiliated with Cairo University Hospitals. Sample: A convenience sample of 100 pregnant women in their third trimester of pregnancy was selected. Tools: Three tools were used. 1) Personal Data Sheet 2) Emotional Intelligence Inventory 3) Fear of Childbirth Questionnaire Results: nearly two-thirds (64.0%) of women had an average level of emotional intelligence, and 62.0% of them had a moderate level of fear of birth, while 17.0% had a high level. In addition, a significant negative correlation was found between pregnant women’s level of emotional intelligence and fear of birth (r= -0.46, p= 0.00). Moreover, there were positive statistical correlations between EI with work status (r= 0.34, p=0.001) and gestational age (r= 0.22, p= 0.02). Conversely, negative statistical correlations were found between fear of birth with both work status (r= - 0.3, p= 0.002) and gestational age (r= -0.25, p= 0.009). Conclusion: It was determined that a negative correlation with highly statistically significant differences was found between the total EI scores of the pregnant women and their FOC. Recommendations: Emotional intelligence skills should be integrated as a part of educational sessions conducted for pregnancy-related fears. | ||||
Keywords | ||||
Fear of Childbirth; Pregnant Women; Emotional Intelligence | ||||
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