Identification of Distress Levels in Pregnant Women: A Descriptive and Cross-Sectional Study

Özet

Objectives:The purpose of the study is to identify distress levels and the affecting factors in pregnant women. Methods:This study was conducted in the Non-Stress Test unit of a Maternity and Children Hospital between 1stand 31stof March, 2017 in Turkey. This study is descriptive and cross-sectional. The participants were 250 pregnant women who met the research criteria and volunteered to participate in the study. Data were collected using the “Socio-demographic Form” and “Tilburg Pregnancy Distress Scale”. Analysis of the data was performed using percentages, means, student t-test, ANOVA, and Linear Regression. Results:The average age of pregnant women was 26.73. Of all the participants, 52.2% graduated from primary school, 93.5% did not work, 79.6% had social security, partners of 43.3% were workers, 74.7% had medium financial level, 79.6% had a nuclear family, 66.1% experienced their first pregnancy, 90,6% had planned their pregnancy, and 64.9% had a living child. The mean score for the total scale was 23.54±7.590; mean score for the negative effect sub-scale was 20.81±6.560, and mean score for the partner involvement sub-scale was 2.73±2.967. According to the cut-off point, 25.3% of pregnant women were found to be distressed. Conclusions:This study found that approximately one-fourth of the pregnant women were distressed, which was considered to result from their socio-demographic and obstetric features. A holistic approach should be applied to pregnant women in their pregnancy follow-ups considering their psychological needs as well as physiological and biological ones.