Person‐environment interaction as a determinant of labor length variables

Abstract

A prospective study of 80 women, who elected home births, and 80, who chose hospital births, yielded information about combinations of psychological variables which predicted duration of the latent phase of labor, and total labor length. The results indicated that psychological factors influenced physiological outcomes in specific ways, depending upon the parturient's parity and choice of birth setting. Anxiety variables predicted at least one of the two labor length variables in both the Home and Hospital Multigravida groups, and expectations of control predicted a labor length variable in both primigravidas and multigravidas giving birth at home. Arousal seeking tendency was a predictor of a labor length variable' in all but Home Multigravidas, but the direction of the effect depended upon the chosen birth setting.

Maternal anxiety and feelings of control during labour: A study of Chinese first-time pregnant women

“…More studies about anxiety of diverse cause are necessary before one can conclude that postnatally assessed anxiety does represent a measure of anxiety at its most intense. Hodnett and Abel (1986) concluded that the mean LAS scores of homebirth primigravida (160.81, SD ¼ 20.29) were higher than those who gave birth in hospitals (142.89, SD ¼ 22.01). The mean c-LAS score reported by the Chinese primigravida in the current study was 131.47 (SD ¼ 22.94), which is comparatively lower than the mean LAS scores reported in Hodnett and Abel's (1986) study.…”

“…Hodnett and Abel (1986) concluded that the mean LAS scores of homebirth primigravida (160.81, SD ¼ 20.29) were higher than those who gave birth in hospitals (142.89, SD ¼ 22.01). The mean c-LAS score reported by the Chinese primigravida in the current study was 131.47 (SD ¼ 22.94), which is comparatively lower than the mean LAS scores reported in Hodnett and Abel's (1986) study. This suggests that the environment of birth might affect the woman's feelings of control.…”

“…Possible total scores for the LAS range from 29 (indicating feelings of control rarely) to 203 (reflecting feelings of control almost always). The reported internal consistency of the LAS ranges from 0.91 to 0.98 (Hodnett and Abel, 1986). Hodnett and Simmons-Tropea (1987) claimed that LAS scores remained stable at 2 weeks, 1 month and 3 months postpartum.…”

“…In evaluating the expected and experienced feelings of control of women during labour, Hodnett et al (1997) found no significant difference in experienced control between women having expectant management of pre-labour rupture of their membranes and those who had their labour induced. However, women had significantly higher Labour Agentry Scale (LAS) scores when they experienced continuous caregiver support (Hodnett and Osborn, 1989), spontaneous birth without continuous fetal heart monitoring (Hodnett, 1982) and decreased usage of pharmacological pain-relief measures (Hodnett and Abel, 1986). Moreover, Green et al (1990) noticed that feelings of control during labour enhanced women's emotional well-being after labour, and these positive experiences persisted even though they were different from their expectation.…”

Understanding the Health Beliefs of First Time Mothers Who Request Elective Cesarean Versus Mothers who Request Vaginal Delivery

“…The LAS is normally administered during the first few days following childbirth; however scores have been demonstrated to be stable at 2 weeks, 1 month, and 3 months postpartum (Hodnett & Abel, 1986). Cronbach's alpha for past studies range from 0.91 to 0.98 (Hodnett & Abel, 1986). All 10 items are summed to obtain a total score.…”