Anxiety Level of Pregnant Women before Pregnancy Termination for Fetal Abnormality

Özet

Objectives: Holistic approaches in health care services consider all aspects of individuality. This research wasconducted as a descriptive study to evaluate the anxiety level of pregnant women before the termination ofthe pregnancy for fetal abnormalities.Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study comprised pregnant women who were admitted to theprenatal diagnosis and treatment unit before pregnancy termination for a severe fetal abnormality. As thedata collection tool, a questionnaire containing the descriptive and obstetric characteristics of the pregnantwomen, their feelings and thoughts about pregnancy and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were used in thisresearch. In the evaluation of the research data, percentage values, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, median, minimum and maximum values were given as descriptive statistics of the data.Results: This study consisted of 83 pregnant women. The findings showed that 49 (59.0%) of pregnant womenexperienced sadness, and 41 (49.4%) needed psychological support before the termination of pregnancy. Themean State-Trait Anxiety Inventory score of the pregnant women was 60.7±11.6, and that they experiencedhigh levels of anxiety.Conclusion: The findings suggest that pregnant women before the termination of pregnancy for severe fetalabnormalities should be evaluated and supported psychosocially.