Impact of expectation, catastrophizing, and self-compassion on labour pain experiences among Portuguese women.

IF 1.6 4区心理学 Q2 PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology Pub Date : 2025-10-09 DOI:10.1080/02646838.2025.2569764

D Vieira, T A Lapa, A Correia, Y Cunha, M Cruz, A Rodrigues, P Marques, S Sá, D Cruz, R Portela, I Rute, P Gomes, D Carreiras, S Carvalho

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Aims/background: Childbirth evokes a mix of emotions, including happiness, fear, and pain, shaped by biological, cognitive, and emotional factors. This study examines how pain expectation, catastrophizing, and self-compassion impact the experience and recall of labour pain.

Methods: Seventy-six pregnant women completed the numeric pain scale (NS) in three different moments: the expected pain (EP) before delivery, the maximum pain experienced during delivery, actual pain (AP), and the retrospective pain (RP) after delivery. Additionally, scales measuring catastrophizing (PCS) and self-compassion (SELFCS) were administered.

Results: We observed that EP exceeded AP (z = -2.684, p = 0.007) and RP (z = -4.556, p < 0.001). Positive correlations were observed between EP and AP (r = 0.385, p = 0.001) and EP and RP (r = 0.237, p = 0.044), highlighting the impact of expectations on pain perception during labour and its recall. Catastrophizing (p = 0.041) and a lower number of pregnancies (p = 0.014) were significant predictors of severe pain, whereas self-compassion did not significantly correlate with pain measures. High pain expectations may contribute to actual pain levels during labour, particularly with induced labour.

Conclusion: Many women experience persistent pain post-childbirth, highlighting the need for tailored interventions to manage expectations and provide effective coping strategies. This study underscores the need to address pain expectations in antenatal care and target catastrophizing tendencies to improve the labour pain experience and prevent chronic postpartum pain. Larger studies are needed to validate these results and inform the development of effective interventions, ultimately enhancing maternal well-being during and after childbirth.

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期望、灾难化和自我同情对葡萄牙妇女分娩疼痛经历的影响。

目的/背景：分娩引起各种情绪的混合，包括快乐、恐惧和痛苦，受生理、认知和情感因素的影响。本研究探讨疼痛预期、灾难化和自我同情如何影响分娩疼痛的体验和回忆。方法：76例孕妇在分娩前预期疼痛（EP）、分娩时最大疼痛（AP）、分娩后实际疼痛（AP）和回顾性疼痛（RP）三个不同时刻完成数字疼痛量表（NS）。此外，还使用了灾难化（PCS）和自我同情（SELFCS）量表。结果：我们观察到EP超过AP （z = -2.684, p = 0.007）和RP (z = -4.556, p r = 0.385, p = 0.001)， EP和RP (r = 0.237, p = 0.044)，突出了预期对分娩过程中疼痛感知及其回忆的影响。灾难化（p = 0.041）和较低的怀孕次数（p = 0.014）是严重疼痛的显著预测因子，而自我同情与疼痛测量无显著相关。高疼痛预期可能导致分娩时的实际疼痛水平，特别是引产时。结论：许多妇女在分娩后经历了持续的疼痛，强调需要量身定制的干预措施来管理预期并提供有效的应对策略。本研究强调了在产前护理中解决疼痛预期的必要性，并针对灾难化倾向，以改善分娩疼痛体验和预防慢性产后疼痛。需要更大规模的研究来验证这些结果，并为制定有效的干预措施提供信息，最终提高产妇在分娩期间和分娩后的福祉。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-

CiteScore

6.80

自引率

8.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： The Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology reports and reviews outstanding research on psychological, behavioural, medical and social aspects of human reproduction, pregnancy and infancy. Medical topics focus on obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics and psychiatry. The growing work in relevant aspects of medical communication and medical sociology are also covered. Relevant psychological work includes developmental psychology, clinical psychology, social psychology, behavioural medicine, psychology of women and health psychology. Research into psychological aspects of midwifery, health visiting and nursing is central to the interests of the Journal. The Journal is of special value to those concerned with interdisciplinary issues. As a result, the Journal is of particular interest to those concerned with fundamental processes in behaviour and to issues of health promotion and service organization.