Psychosocial roots of stress during pregnancy: A cross sectional study

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy being an epoc of transition demanding heaps of remodeling and at the same time imbalance of which give rise to antenatal stress. As gestational stress is a considerable antecedent of detrimental pregnancy outcome, it is noteworthy to identify its contributing factors. The objective of the study was to determine the psychosocial factors associated with antenatal stress. Materials and Methods: Quantitative approach with a cross-sectional design was used to study the association between psychosocial factors and stress of pregnancy. Setting of the investigation was antenatal clinics of government hospitals at Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala. The data were collected from 704 women in the gestational span of 20–24 weeks using Antenatal Psychosocial Stress Scale and structured interview schedule. Results: Bivariate analysis revealed that there is a statistically significant association between high stress and high fear of labor pain (odds ratio [OR] = 1.85, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12–3.08) as well as anxiety regarding gender of baby (OR = 2.12, CI: 1.31–3.41). Conclusion: The present study revealed that heightened fear of labor pain and anxiety regarding gender of baby are the significant factors associated with antenatal stress. The study highlights the need of childbirth preparation classes attached to antenatal clinics. It also suggests the demand for abolishing gender preferences prevailing in the community.