Factors Associated with Significant Emotional Distress in Women Attending Obstetric Clinics in Kuwait

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the incidence of and factors associated with significant emotional distress in a sample of women attending prenatal clinics in Kuwait. Two hundred and forty-eight pregnant women attending prenatal clinics at the Maternity Hospital and Maternity unit of Farwaniya Hospital in Kuwait from September 1997 to April 1998 participated in the study. Consenting women were assessed for symptoms of depression and anxiety using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist. We found that 6.5% of all women in the study reported psychiatrically significant levels of depression and 6.9% reported significant levels of anxiety. Together, 13.4 % of all subjects reported clinically significant levels of emotional distress, specifically anxiety, depression or both anxiety and depression symptoms. Women in their second trimester of pregnancy were less likely to report significant emotional distress than those in their first or third trimesters. Women reporting marital conflicts and those reporting higher levels of family stress other than that related to their marriage were more likely to report significant emotional distress than those not reporting such conflicts or other family stress. In conclusion, we found that emotional distress was noteworthy in a subgroup of pregnant women in Kuwait and that this distress was more strongly associated with psychosocial factors (such as marital relationship and family stress) than with obstetric or other health-related factors. It is important that prenatal health care providers diagnose such cases using appropriate screening measures and provide appropriate referrals early.