The relationship between fear of body image and cognitive emotion regulation strategies with the fear of first delivery in pregnant women

Aim: This study purpose was to determine the relationship between fear of body image and cognitive emotion regulation strategies with fear of first delivery in pregnant women. Methods: The Research method was correlation and statistical population included 239 women with the first experience of pregnancy in their last trimester in Kermanshah city in 2017. Based on Kerjcie-Morgan table 1970, a sample of 144 was estimated and 158 individuals were selected through available sampling after considering the admission criteria among pregnant women referring to Samen-ol-aemmeh Comprehensive Health Services Centers, shahid rajaee, Haj-afghanian, shahid motahhari, vahdat and sajjadieh. The instruments were Littleton Fear of Body Image Questionnaire (2005), Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ; Garnefski, Kraaij, & Spinhoven, 2001), and Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire (1998). After excluding 12 unclear questionnaires, the data of 146 individuals were analyzed by stepwise regression method. Results: The results showed that the variables explaining the variance of fear of delivery were respectively; fear of body image (β= 0.384, P= 0.01), negative strategies of cognitive emotion regulation (β= 0.231, P= 0.01) and positive strategies of cognitive emotion regulation (β= 0.172, P= 0.01). Conclusion: The more pregnant women with first experienceworry about their body image and use to the negative strategies of cognitive emotion regulation, the more they will experience fears of delivery. Therefore, it is recommended that psychotherapists and counselors with modifying this group’s attitude about their body image and teaching them applying positive strategies of cognitive emotion regulation, reduce their fear of delivery and the resulted injuries.

Keywords:

body image , cognitive regulation , emotion , fear of childbirth , strategies