Epidural or no epidural anaesthesia: Relationships between beliefs about childbirth and pain control choices

The purpose of this study was to look at the differences between women who labour with or without epidural anaesthesia. This study was a partial replication of a study done by Poore and Foster [(1985) Epidural and no epidural anaesthesia: differences between mothers and their experience of birth, Birth, 12(4), 205-212] looking at differences in mothers and the epidural choice. Forty­six women were surveyed within 6 months of vaginal delivery. Fear of childbirth, locus of control for childbirth, desired participation in the childbirth process, and knowledge of epidural risk were assessed. Women who chose to deliver with an epidural had high fear of childbirth, an external locus of control for childbirth, and a desire for passive compliance in the childbirth process. Results also showed that women who laboured without an epidural had low fear of childbirth, an internal locus of control for childbirth, and a desire to actively participate in the childbirth process. Women who decided not to have an epidural prior to going into labour scored higher on a scale designed to assess knowledge of risks associated with epidural use. These results reveal that differences in beliefs about childbirth are related to pain control choices.