Abstract:

Objective: This descriptive study was conducted to determine the perceptions of first and last year midwifery students about childbirth. Material and Method: In the study, the entire population was tried to be reached without selecting a sample and 164 midwifery students who agreed to participate in the study were included in the sample. A questionnaire prepared by the researchers was used to collect the data. Results: According to the findings of the study, a statistically significant difference was found between the first and last year midwifery students in terms of students’ voluntary choice of the department, their perceptions of childbirth, their perceptions of childbirth being influenced by the experiences of family and relatives during childbirth, the effect of birth videos watched in the media on their perceptions of childbirth, the effect of being a midwife candidate on the type of birth, and the health professional they wanted to help their birth (p<0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of the study, it was found that the perception of birth was positive in senior midwifery students. It is important that midwifery students’ positive perception of childbirth develops from the 1st grade and is gained before graduation. In this context, it is recommended to conduct more studies revealing midwifery students’ perceptions of birth and to plan effective interventions within the framework of the study results.

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