The Influence of Mother-Daughter Communications on Anxiety During Labor

Clinical observations of the behavior of labor patients and their families along
with the recognition of the unique aspects of the mother-daughter relationship directed attention to motherdaughter communication as an influence on the level of anxiety that a woman may experience at the onset of
her first labor. Studies on the physiology of labor have provided substantial evidence that as epinephrine levels
increase, as a result of anxiety, uterine contractions are less effective and labor is prolonged. Two hundred
ninety-six primiparous daughters, 114 white and 182 black were contacted during their postpartum
hospitalization. The length of latent phase of labor for each of them was determined by direct questioning and
findings of physical examinations on hospital records.