The Relationship between Personality Traits and Labor Pain Intensity

Backgroundlabor pain is one of the most intense pains. physiological, personality, psychological, cultural, andenvironmental factors are related to the labor pain. pain is a strong stressor which can have greatimpacts on women’s reproductive, mental, and physical health; therefore, its harmful effects shouldbe reduced. thus, the present study aimed to determine the relationship between the personality traitsand the labor pain intensity.methodsthis correlational study was conducted on 220 parturient women who fulfilled the inclusion criteria ofthe study from december to february 2012 through a demographic questionnaire, five factor inventory(ffi) including 5 personality traits (neuroticism, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, andextraversion), and nprs scale which was used to determine the labor pain intensity. the data wereanalyzed through the spss software (version 16) using pearson correlation and multiple regression tests.resultsthe results of this study showed that among the demographic factors, only the number of childbirthshad a significant negative correlation with the labor pain score (r=-0.21, p < 0.01). also, a significantcorrelation was observed between the labor pain score and agreeableness (r=20, p < 0.05) and openness(r=0.19, p < 0.05). however, among the personality traits, only agreeableness was a positive predictor ofthe labor pain score (b=0.27, p < 0.01).conclusionthe main finding of this study was that some personality traits, such as agreeableness, were predictorsof labor pain. thus, if women with specific personality traits are identified, appropriate measures canbe taken to prepare them for labor pain by providing them with suitable consultation.