ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
This article is part of the Research TopicPerinatal mental health: Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and FearView all 31 articles
The Role of Maternal Age, Education, Birth Experience and Self-Esteem in Shaping Anxiety Before First Postpartum Intercourse
Provisionally accepted
- Division of Obstetric and Gynaecological Nursing, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdańsk, Poland
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Introduction: The postpartum period involves significant physical and psychological changes that can impact a woman's sexual health. Anxiety experienced prior to resuming sexual intercourse after childbirth is a common yet understudied issue that may affect relationship satisfaction and overall well-being. While multiple biopsychosocial factors likely contribute to this anxiety, their interactions and particularly the role of self-esteem remain insufficiently understood. The aim of this study is to identify factors associated with anxiety before first postpartum sexual intercourse and to examine the relationship between self-esteem and sexual activity resumption among Polish women. Methods: We conducted an observational, cross-sectional study among 350 Polish women up to twelve months postpartum. Data were collected via an anonymous online questionnaire, which included socio-demographic characteristics, delivery details, sexual health aspects and self-esteem assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Logistic regression analysis was applied to identify significant predictors of postpartum sexual anxiety. Results: Higher maternal age (OR = 0.93) and more frequent previous sexual activity (OR = 0.78) were associated with reduced odds of anxiety. Conversely, higher education level (OR = 1.55), more time elapsed since delivery (OR = 1.14) and perceived delivery difficulty (OR = 1.31) significantly increased the risk of anxiety. Women with higher self-esteem reported more frequent sexual activity and lower anxiety levels. The final model showed moderate predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.65-0.70) and explained 7-12% of variance. Discussion: Multiple factors, including maternal age, education, delivery experience and self-esteem level, are associated with This is a provisional file, not the final typeset article anxiety prior to first postpartum intercourse. The findings highlight the importance of comprehensive perinatal care aimed at both physical recovery and psychological well-being. Healthcare providers should incorporate assessment of sexual health concerns and self-esteem issues into routine postpartum care to better support women during this transition.
Keywords: sexual activity, self-esteem, sexual activity after childbirth, Sexuality, Postpartum
Received: 18 Sep 2025; Accepted: 27 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Rozmarynowska, Czerwińska - Osipiak, Krawczyk and Szablewska. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Aleksandra Krawczyk
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