Effective Environmental Factors in Encouraging Iranian Mothers to Have Physiologic Birth through Facilitating it: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

With the decrease in physiologic birth due to fear, researchers became interested in the mechanisms affecting mothers' tendency to deliver naturally. Studies have indicated that environmental factors significantly influence the fear experienced by women during labor. This research aims to examine the extent to which environmental parameters can facilitate Iranian mothers in managing their fear during physiologic childbirth.

The comparative analysis drawn from the relevant literature about environmental factors and mothers' perception of these factors has led to a reevaluation of this subject. Consequently, a research project was carried out, using a structured questionnaire and employing the exploratory factor analysis methodology.

According to the findings, the most important environmental factors that encourage Iranian mothers to physiologic delivery are as follows: "objective quality of life (Eigenvalue of 9.400)", "attractive environmental stimuli (Eigenvalue of 6.267)", "environmental and physical health (Eigenvalue of 5.126)", "friendly atmosphere (Eigenvalue of 4.596)", "environmental vitality (Eigenvalue of 4.375)", "environmental privacy (Eigenvalue of 3.866)" and "tangible technology (Eigenvalue of 3.689)".

Promoting the environmental quality of the delivery room through architectural interventions such as interior design and the general configuration, can help mothers, their partners, and medical staff in managing childbirth more effectively, ultimately leading to a higher incidence of physiologic delivery.