Psychological Impact of Pregnancy on Expectant Mothers: A Quantitative Study at Liaquat Memorial Hospital, Kohat
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18829352
Keywords:
Psychological Distress, Anxiety, Depression, Pregnancy, Social Support, Stressful Life Events, Prenatal Mental Health, Sociodemographic Factors, Maternal Well-Being, Liaquat Memorial Hospital.Abstract
Background: Anxiety and depression during pregnancy is common but often unnoticed problem. The purpose of this study is to identify the rate of psychological distress, factors related to it and the domains of psychological distress; besides socio-demographic profile; and stressful life events; determinants of social support among pregnant women in Liaquat Memorial Hospital.
Methods: In the present study, 300 pregnant women were recruited through the cross-sectional study design from a pool of convenience samples. The assessment instruments including the Perinatal Assessment of Maternal Affectivity (PAMA) and the Maternal Social Support Scale (MSSS) were used in self-report. Descriptive statistics found the following correlation with psychological distress, age, education, marital status, socioeconomic status, stressful events, and factors related to stressful events.
Results: We established a 36% prevalence rate of probable psychological distress among the participants, with anxiety being the most common dimension. The analysis showed that younger age (<25 years), no formal education or less than a primary education and socioeconomic difficulties were related to higher distress scores. Overall, distress scores were higher in the divorced women than the married women p < 0.001. Those who reported SLEs in the past year including economic change or a sick family member had significantly higher distress scores. The main saving factor was perceived social support where data showed a negative relation between MSSS scores and distress level where those with higher score had lower distress (p < 0.01).
Conclusion: Pregnant women’s level of psychological distress is mediated by sociodemographic characteristics, life events and social support. These results underscore the importance of mental health assessments during prenatal periods, initial and specific group therapies for risky populations and improved social support to reduce pregnant women stress.
