Journal of Educational, Health and Community Psychology
VOL 15 NO 2 JUNE 2026

Childbirth Fear in Primigravida Pregnant Women: Exploring the Role of Resilience, Social Support, and Childbirth Self-Efficacy

Eva Nur Rachmah (Doctoral Program in Psychology, Universitas Surabaya)
Evy Tjahjono (Doctoral Program in Psychology, Universitas Surabaya)
Monique Elizabeth Sukamto (Doctoral Program in Psychology, Universitas Surabaya)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 May 2026

Abstract

This study examined a structural model of fear of childbirth (FOC) among primigravida pregnant women by investigating the roles of resilience and perceived social support, with childbirth self-efficacy as a mediating variable. Fear of childbirth is a significant psychological concern that may negatively affect maternal well-being and childbirth outcomes. A cross-sectional quantitative design using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed. Participants consisted of 420 primigravida pregnant women recruited from the Gerbangkertasusila region in East Java, Indonesia, through convenience sampling. The proposed model demonstrated a good fit to the data (CFI = 0.967, TLI = 0.957, RMSEA = 0.055, SRMR = 0.063). Childbirth self-efficacy showed a significant negative direct effect on fear of childbirth (β = −0.503, p < 0.001), indicating that higher self-efficacy was associated with lower fear levels. Social support and resilience did not show significant direct effects on fear of childbirth. However, social support had a significant indirect effect on fear of childbirth through childbirth self-efficacy (β = 0.091, p < 0.01). These findings suggest that the influence of social support depends on how it shapes maternal confidence and perceived autonomy. The study highlights childbirth self-efficacy as a central psychological mechanism underlying fear of childbirth and emphasizes the importance of empowering antenatal support interventions.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

Psychology

Publisher

Subject

Education Public Health

Description

Journal of Educational, Health, and Community Psychology (JEHCP) published an article, and empirical study that have originality, novelty and fill the gap of knowledge, that focused on educational psychology, health psychology and community psychology. JEHCP is an open access peer reviewed, ...