Latest news with #Warwick-EdinburghMentalWellbeingScale
Time of India
07-08-2025
- Health
- Time of India
60% of women are scared of childbirth: Here's why some aren't
A recent study reveals that a woman's mental well-being and self-belief are key to managing childbirth fear. Researchers from Robert Gordon University and UniSA found that positive emotions, strong relationships, and confidence in coping strategies significantly reduce anxiety. The study emphasizes antenatal care that empowers women psychologically, fostering confidence and promoting healthier births by focusing on wellness and relaxation techniques. Fear of giving birth is common; about 60% of women experience some fear about childbirth, especially for the first time. Yes, you are not alone; however, certain things can help ease the fear. A new study has shown why some women are more likely to stay calm and confident in the lead-up to childbirth. A recent study led by researchers at the Robert Gordon University in Scotland and the University of South Australia (UniSA) explored the factors that contributed to the fear. The findings of the study are published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynaecology . Childbirth and fear To understand how some women stay calm and confident during childbirth, the researchers surveyed 88 pregnant women who were in their third trimester of pregnancy before attending antenatal classes in north-east Scotland. Using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, the researcher measured the link between mental wellbeing, a woman's belief in her ability to manage the challenges of labour, and fear of childbirth. They found that 12% of expecting mothers had 'severe' fear of childbirth (FOC). People who were more positive, confident, and in meaningful relationships reported. Findings Dr Katrina Forbes-McKay, lead author of the study, said that antenatal care could be improved to foster confidence, enhance positive emotions, and ultimately support healthier births for mothers and babies. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like BITS Excellence, now online BITS Pilani Digital Apply Now Undo 'While many studies have explored the negative effects of childbirth fear, including prolonged labour, emergency caesareans, and postpartum mental health issues, there has been little research into what protects women from experiencing those fears. Our findings highlight the need for antenatal care that doesn't just teach women what to do during labour but also empowers them to believe they can do it,' Dr Forbes-McKay says. 'This includes having a sense of purpose, emotional positivity, and meaningful social relationships – all things that are often overlooked in maternity care. The second key predictor was childbirth self-efficacy – particularly whether women believed they could apply coping strategies when the time came,' co-author and UniSA Professor Tracy Humphrey says. The researchers also found that a woman's mental well-being was the strongest predictor of how fearful she felt about giving birth. The researchers emphasized the importance of antenatal programs to focus on building self-belief, rather than the medical model. Some of their recommendation include: Fosters confidence in the use of labour techniques such as breathing, visualisation, and relaxation Enhances psychological well-being by supporting social connection, purpose, and satisfaction Embraces an approach that focuses on wellness rather than the risks 'Women who incorporated these relaxation techniques reported 'significant improvements' in their mental wellbeing and confidence in approaching childbirth; improvements which remained stable until 4-8 weeks after birth. The findings align with global priorities from the World Health Organization to promote the mental and physical health of women during pregnancy,' Dr. Mo Tabib, a midwifery lecturer at Robert Gordon University, conducted the study as part of her PhD, under the supervision of Dr. Forbes-McKay and Professor Humphrey added. 'Kahin Bada, Kahin Chhota': Ravi Kishan Uses Samosa Analogy To Demand Regulation Of Food Prices 'By addressing fear of childbirth through psychological and educational interventions, we not only support women to have more positive birth experiences but potentially reduce medical interventions and improve outcomes for mothers and infants,' she added.
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Childhood verbal and physical abuse leave similar impacts, study shows
Cruel words can leave a mark on a child –– and may have as much of an impact as physical abuse, new research has found . People who experienced physical abuse as a child were at a 50% increased risk of reporting low mental health in adulthood compared with those with no abuse, according to the study published Tuesday in the journal BMJ Open. Those who experienced verbal abuse had a 60% increase in likelihood of low well-being. The prevalence of physical abuse in people in England and Wales has halved, from 20% in people born from 1950 to 1979 to 10% in those born in or after 2000, according to the study. Verbal abuse, on the other hand, has increased. In the United States, more than 60% of people participating in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported experiencing emotional abuse and 31.8% reported physical abuse. The survey listed emotional instead of verbal abuse, but asked about similar behaviors as the most recent study. In this latest analysis, researchers analyzed data from more than 20,000 adults across seven different studies in England and Wales. The study team evaluated childhood experiences using the Adverse Childhood Experiences tool and components of adult mental health using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. The 'results suggest that verbal abuse in childhood can leave mental health scars as deep and long-lasting as those caused by physical abuse,' said lead study author Dr. Mark Bellis, professor of public health and behavioral sciences at Liverpool John Moores University in the United Kingdom. What is verbal abuse? Across the United States and the world, there has been an epidemiological shift of a greater burden of verbal abuse across populations, said Dr. Shanta Dube, professor of epidemiology and director of the department of public health at the Levine College of Health Sciences at Wingate University in Wingate, North Carolina. She added that emotional abuse is 'often tied to the act of verbal abuse and therefore verbal abuse can often get lost.' The rise of verbal abuse amid the decline of physical abuse highlights a need to raise awareness around spoken abuse, especially given the lasting impact, said Dube, who was not involved in the study. 'Verbal abuse may be eroding the mental health benefits we should expect from successful efforts to reduce physical abuse,' Bellis added. It can be hard to draw the line for sure on what language is harsh and what is verbal abuse, but it can include blaming, insulting, scolding, criticizing or threatening children, said Dr. Andrea Danese, professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at King's College London and adjunct clinical professor at the Yale Child Study Center. He was not involved in the research. 'Think about the use of derogatory terms or statements intended to frighten, humiliate, denigrate or belittle a person,' he said. 'It is often unintentional.' Comments can sound like 'Johnny can do it. Why can't you?' 'You always make mistakes,' 'You're stupid,' or 'You're worthless,' Dube said. 'Harsh, denigrating words spoken to children have lasting impacts. Children developmentally are concrete thinkers 'it is or isn't,' she said in an email. 'They can take things literally.' Children rely on the language of the adults in their immediate environment to learn both about themselves and the world, Danese said. Therefore, the way children are talked to can be very powerful in both positive and negative ways, he added. 'Being the subject of verbal abuse can twist a young person's understanding of who they are and their role in the world,' Danese said. Is it the impact or how you remember it? The study relies on observational data, meaning that researchers cannot say for sure that verbal abuse in childhood causes poorer mental health in adulthood, only that there is a connection between the two. It could be that people who experience verbal abuse in their younger years have trauma later, but it also could be that adults with worse mental health are more likely to remember their childhood more harshly, Danese said. However, the sample size was large enough and the approach was strong enough to add to the existing evidence around impacts of verbal abuse, Dube said. Language has power –– good and bad It is increasingly important that researchers and individuals pay attention to the factors that impact long-term mental health, Bellis said. 'Poor mental health is a major and growing global public health issue, particularly among adolescents and young adults,' he said. Part of the decline in physical abuse may be attributed to more awareness, data collection and campaigns focused on its reduction over the years, Dube added. 'Improving childhood environments can directly enhance mental well-being as well as helping build resilience to protect against the future mental health challenges individuals may face through adolescence and adulthood,' Bellis said in an email. 'We need to ensure that the harms of verbal abuse are more widely recognised.' Parents and caregivers with more information and support may be better equipped to create better home environments for their children, he said. 'This means helping build emotional regulation skills in parents and children, helping catalyse emotional attachment between them, developing their communication skills and encouraging modelling behaviours in parents so that they demonstrate the type of approaches to problems that they would like to see in their children,' Bellis said in an email. But the issue doesn't stop with parents –– all adults who interact with children need to understand the impacts of verbal abuse, Dube said. And the answer isn't just to shame adults, Danese said. Instead, he and other researchers are looking to support a cultural shift toward everyone being more mindful about the language used toward children and how it might affect them. 'It's not about dramatising times when we could have let negative comments on children slip,' he said in an email. 'It is about being mindful of them and trying to repair them with an apology, a correction, and an explanation.' Editor's note: If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, help is available. Dial or text 988 or visit for free and confidential support.
