Prenatal Distress and the Contributing Factors in High-Risk Pregnant Women

Abstract

Background: This study aims to identify prenatal distress and the contributing factors in high risk pregnant women.Methods: This descriptive study was conducted among 241 high-risk pregnant women at Et lik Zübeyde Hanım Health Application and Research Center in Ankara, Turkey. Sampling wasperformed using the simple random sampling method. Data were collected using the sociode mographic form and the Tilburg Pregnancy Distress Scale. Data analysis was performed usingthe Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, and posthoc test. The significance level wastaken as P < .05. Results: The average age of the pregnant women was 28.61 ± 5.8 years, and the Tilburg Preg nancy Distress Scale total mean score was found to be 29.05 ± 11.6. A statistically significantdifference was found between the Tilburg Pregnancy Distress Scale total mean scores andthe variables such as pregnant women’s educational level, their income level, the place wherethey spent their childhood, their wanting of the pregnancy, and the number of children theyhad (P < .05). Conclusion: More than half of the high-risk pregnant women were found to experience dis tress. In addition, it was found that some sociodemographic and obstetric variables impactedthe distress levels.