A preliminary examination of the prevalence and clinical features of primary tokophobia in a university sample

Research Aims/Questions: Tokophobia is characterised by a significant fear of pregnancy and childbirth. It is estimated that 9.1% of pregnant women meet the cut-off criteria for tokophobia, however the prevalence in women who have never been pregnant is currently unknown. An additional limitation of the literature is that prevalence data that has been published to date is based on selfreport questionnaires and unstructured interviews. The aim of this study was to improve our understanding of the prevalence and clinical features of tokophobia in a more representative sample, using a structured diagnostic interview, in addition to self-report measures.

Methodology: This study is an exploratory investigation of the prevalence and clinical features of tokophobia using 100 female first-year psychology students from the University of Tasmania. Participants were assessed for tokophobia according to the specific phobia section of the Diagnostic Interview for Anxiety, Mood, and OCD and Related Neuropsychiatric Disorders (DIAMOND), a structured diagnostic interview that assesses DSM-5 criteria for a variety of mental health conditions. Self-report measures include the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ), Tokophobia Severity Scale (TSS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9-item (PHQ-9), Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS) and Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS).

Conclusion: Preliminary analysis of data indicates that the prevalence of tokophobia in a college sample is high (approximately 13%), however data collection is ongoing (expected completion August, 2014). This study has important implications for improving our understanding of the prevalence and clinical features of tokophobia, an understudied clinical condition.