Prenatal distress levels of pregnant women in Turkey and affecting factors: a multicentre study

• Published in: Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology p. 1
• Main Authors: Yilmaz, Figen Alp, Gözüyeşil, Ebru, Köse Tuncer, Sevinç, Akman, Gülay, Aba, Yılda Arzu, Durgun Ozan, Yeter, Bilgiç, Dilek
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 04.07.2021
• Subjects: Prenatal distress; spousal support; pregnancy
• ISSN: 1364-6893
• DOI: 10.1080/01443615.2020.1789950

This study was conducted to determine prenatal distress levels of pregnant women from seven provinces of Turkey and factors affecting prenatal distress levels. The multicentre descriptive study included 2365 pregnant women who were in the twentieth gestational week and above. The data were collected using the pregnancy information form, prenatal distress questionnaire and spousal support scale. Descriptive statistics, Student's -test, ANOVA and logistic regression were used to evaluate the data. The results of this study demonstrated that pregnant women's prenatal distress levels are affected by such factors as the region lived in, lack of spousal support and being a primary school graduate. Nurses should develop intervention strategies that involve the pregnant woman's spouse to reduce prenatal distress and the factors affecting prenatal distress.Impact statement Prenatal distress can have significant effects on pregnancy, maternal health and human development across the lifespan. Spousal support could also have an effect on the psychological health of mothers. Nurses and midwives monitor the pregnant women, and therefore, they should evaluate the prenatal distress levels in the prenatal period, plan intervention strategies for pregnant women with high stress levels and include the pregnant women's spouses in these intervention strategies.