Partners of nulliparous women with severe fear of childbirth: A longitudinal study of psychological well-being.

Background Little is known about the psychological status of partners of women with severe fear of childbirth (FOC). In this longitudinal study from Helsinki University Central Hospital, we investigated FOC, depression, and posttraumatic stress in the partners of women with severe FOC, and possible effects of group psychoeducation and mode of birth.Methods: During pregnancy, 250 partners of nulliparous women with severe FOC participated, 93 in the intervention group and 157 in the control group. At 3 months postpartum, 52 partners in the intervention group and 93 in the control group participated. Both the partners and the childbearing women filled in the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experienc…