The effect of a companion's presence during labor on fear of childbirth and labor pain

This study aims to examine the effect of the presence of a birth support person (companion) alongside the mother during labor on fear of childbirth and labor pain. It is a descriptive study. The study was conducted between June 15, 2024, and December 15, 2024, in the delivery rooms of Suluova State Hospital and Amasya Sabuncuoğlu Şerefeddin Training and Research Hospital. The questionnaire was administered to 143 pregnant women (64 with companions, 79 without companions) who were admitted to the delivery room in the latent phase (0-5 cm) and who entered the active phase or underwent labor monitoring for 4-6 hours. Data were collected using a Pregnant Woman Introduction Form consisting of sociodemographic and obstetric data, the Wijma Birth Expectation/Experience Scale Version A, the Angle Labor Pain Scale, the VAS Pain Scale, and a form containing information on birth outcomes. All data in this study were analyzed using RStudio (version 4.4.3) software. Data were evaluated using Student-t test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, and Spearman correlation coefficient. A statistically significant difference was found between the presence of a caregiver and both the VAS score and the Angle score (p<0,001). Additionally, the pain subscale (such as uterine contraction pain, back pain and prolonged pain, and labor pain) and the fear/anxiety subscale of the Angle scale were also found to be significant. A significant difference was also found between the Wijma score and the presence of a caregiver (p<0,001). The Wijma scale score was 50,4±27,3 in the group with a caregiver, while it was 63,8±29,2 in the group without a caregiver. The study shows that companion support has a greater impact on women's perceptions and satisfaction levels regarding their birthing experience than on clinical parameters, increasing their active participation in the birthing process, contributing to a reduction in some interventions, and is consistent with findings in the literature. Our research also revealed that activities such as walking, massage, or Pilates during pregnancy are effective in reducing fear of childbirth and perceived pain. This positively affects both the psychological well-being and the birthing experience of pregnant women. It is recommended that birthing environments be redesigned to accommodate companions, allowing a woman to be accompanied by someone of her choice during childbirth, and that new arrangements be made to ensure continuous midwifery support. Keywords: Birth support, Labor pain, Fear of birth, Midwife, Companion