Childbirth Memory Processing and Perception of Pain: The Role of Adult Attachment The results, discussions and conclusions presented herein are identical to those in the printed version. This electronic version of the thesis has been edited solely to ensure conformance with copyright legislation and all excisions are noted in the text. The final, awarded and examined version is available for consultation via the University Library

Abstract

This thesis contains two parts; a literature review and a research report. The literature review investigates current understandings of the psychological aspects of childbirth pain. Following a systematic search of the literature, 26 papers met the criteria and were reviewed. The review concludes that there are established empirical links in the literature between childbirth pain and; anxiety; pain self-efficacy; social support; expectations of labour; sense of control; satisfaction and social support. Intervention studies have shown that perceived childbirth pain can be reduced using hypnosis, biofeedback and increasing pain self-efficacy. However, there are some areas that are largely unexplored, such as the role of relational or personality factors. The empirical study aimed to investigate how adult attachment patterns impact on pain perception and memory variables in childbirth, and the relationship between these variables and symptoms of acute stress. Seventy women, having their first baby, were recruited in pregnancy from ante-natal classes. At this first time point participants completed a questionnaire, including an adult attachment measure. Shortly after childbirth, participants completed a second questionnaire about their childbirth experience. A relationship was found between adult attachment patterns and aspects of pain but this was not robust in further analysis. Avoidant attachment patterns were related to the extent people felt respected by staff. However, no relationships between attachment and memory variables were found. Emotional intensity of the birth experience was predictive of the variance in some acute stress symptoms.