The relationship between pregnant women's traumatic birth perceptions, childbirth beliefs and prenatal attachment

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between traumatic birth perception, childbirth beliefs, and prenatal attachment. Designed as a descriptive and correlational study, it was conducted with a sample of 390 pregnant women who attended the obstetrics outpatient clinic of Konya City Hospital between December 2024 and June 2025. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Traumatic Birth Perception Scale (TBPS), the Childbirth Beliefs Scale (CBS), and the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI). Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, One-Way ANOVA, Independent Samples t-test, Spearman's correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression analysis. In the study, the mean age of the pregnant women was 24.23±3.70 years, and 72.6% were between 27 and 41 weeks of gestation. The mean score of the Traumatic Birth Perception Scale (TBPS) was 63.17±23.82, while the mean scores of the Childbirth Beliefs Scale (CBS) were 4.19±0.83 for the natural process belief subscale and 3.21±0.71 for the medical process belief subscale. The mean total score of the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI) was 77.06±7.48. A low negative significant correlation was found between the total TBPS scores and PAI scores (r=-0.155, p<0.01), whereas a low positive significant correlation was identified between the total PAI scores and the natural process belief scores of the CBS (rS=0.103, p<0.05). Multiple regression analysis revealed that TBPS scores negatively predicted the total PAI scores (t=-2.907, p<0.01). In conclusion, as pregnant women's prenatal attachment levels increased, their traumatic birth perception levels decreased, and the belief in natural birth processes was found to strengthen prenatal attachment. Awareness of the factors contributing to maternal attachment and traumatic birth perception during pregnancy, as well as supporting the belief in natural birth processes, is recommended for developing training programs and interventions aimed at enhancing prenatal attachment and reducing the perception of birth as traumatic. Furthermore, future studies are suggested to explore these relationships in greater depth.