Latent profiles and predictors of fear of childbirth in late pregnancy: a parity-specific analysis
- 1School of Nursing, Fujian Medical University, 1 North Xuefu Rd, Shangjie, Fuzhou, 350122 China
- 2Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Fuzhou, 350001 China
- 3Key Research Center of Philosophy and Social Sciences of Zhejiang Province (Institute of Medical Humanities, Wenzhou Medical University), Wenzhou, 325035 China
Abstract
Background: Fear of childbirth (FoC) is a common psychological concern among women in late pregnancy. Variation in reported prevalence and associated factors across studies reflects methodological heterogeneity and highlights the need for person-centred approaches to identify clinically meaningful subgroups.
Methods: Data from 745 primiparous and 543 multiparous women were analysed. Latent profile analysis identified distinct FoC profiles separately for each parity group. Guided by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, demographic, obstetric, and psychosocial variables — including childbirth cognitions, social support, and coping style — were examined simultaneously using the R3STEP procedure to identify independent predictors of profile membership.
Results: Two profiles — a relative low-FoC profile and a relative high-FoC profile —were identified in both parity groups, with the high-FoC profile characterised by consistently higher scores across all 14 fear dimensions. The relative high-FoC profile comprised 41.9% of primiparous women and 37.2% of multiparous women. Greater childbirth pain anticipation and more frequent negative coping consistently predicted membership in the high-FoC profile across both groups. Among primiparous women, lower social support, lower income satisfaction, and internet-based knowledge acquisition were additionally associated with profile membership. Among multiparous women, unplanned pregnancy, lower income satisfaction, lower coping efficacy beliefs, attendance at hospital-based prenatal education as a protective factor, and internet use as a risk factor were additionally associated with profile membership.
Conclusion: Clinically significant FoC is common among both primiparous and multiparous women in late pregnancy. Childbirth pain anticipation and negative coping represent shared, modifiable targets for intervention, whereas parity-specific determinants support tailored approaches to FoC screening, prenatal education, and psychological support.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-026-09780-0.
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BibTeX
@article{jing2026latent,
title = {{Latent profiles and predictors of fear of childbirth in late pregnancy: a parity-specific analysis}},
author = {Lu Jing and Shengbin Guo and Ruping Li and Xiaoyue Deng and Xinchen Chen and Huijing Liu and Sisi Huang and Pingping Qiu},
journal = {BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s12884-026-09780-0},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-026-09780-0},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Latent profiles and predictors of fear of childbirth in late pregnancy: a parity-specific analysis
AU - Lu Jing
AU - Shengbin Guo
AU - Ruping Li
AU - Xiaoyue Deng
AU - Xinchen Chen
AU - Huijing Liu
AU - Sisi Huang
AU - Pingping Qiu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/07
JO - BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
DO - 10.1186/s12884-026-09780-0
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-026-09780-0
AB - Background: Fear of childbirth (FoC) is a common psychological concern among women in late pregnancy. Variation in reported prevalence and associated factors across studies reflects methodological heterogeneity and highlights the need for person-centred approaches to identify clinically meaningful subgroups. Methods: Data from 745 primiparous and 543 multiparous women were analysed. Latent profile analysis identified distinct FoC profiles separately for each parity group. Guided by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, demographic, obstetric, and psychosocial variables — including childbirth cognitions, social support, and coping style — were examined simultaneously using the R3STEP procedure to identify independent predictors of profile membership. Results: Two profiles — a relative low-FoC profile and a relative high-FoC profile —were identified in both parity groups, with the high-FoC profile characterised by consistently higher scores across all 14 fear dimensions. The relative high-FoC profile comprised 41.9% of primiparous women and 37.2% of multiparous women. Greater childbirth pain anticipation and more frequent negative coping consistently predicted membership in the high-FoC profile across both groups. Among primiparous women, lower social support, lower income satisfaction, and internet-based knowledge acquisition were additionally associated with profile membership. Among multiparous women, unplanned pregnancy, lower income satisfaction, lower coping efficacy beliefs, attendance at hospital-based prenatal education as a protective factor, and internet use as a risk factor were additionally associated with profile membership. Conclusion: Clinically significant FoC is common among both primiparous and multiparous women in late pregnancy. Childbirth pain anticipation and negative coping represent shared, modifiable targets for intervention, whereas parity-specific determinants support tailored approaches to FoC screening, prenatal education, and psychological support. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-026-09780-0.
SN - 1471-2393
ER -