The Relationship of Anxiety Level to Marital Adjustment and Sexual Satisfaction in Pregnant Women

Abstract

Aim: In this study, we aimed to investigate whether anxiety levels were related to marital adjustment and sexual satisfaction in pregnant women. Methods: The prospective study was conducted at a gynecology and obstet¬rics outpatient clinic between June and August 2020 and included 70 pregnant women. The Turkish versions of the Marital Adjustment Scale (MAS), the Golombok–Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS), and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were used to evaluate the participants. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Spearman correlation tests were used to evaluate the normal distribution of the data and the relationship between the BAI and the GRISS and MAS, respectively. Results: The mean participant age was 27.97±3.83 years. Of all participants, 47.1% had a high school degree, 70% had an income of ₺3000 to ₺10000, 68.6% were working women, and 31.4% were smokers. Fifty-two (74.3%) had been married for 1 to 3 years. The mean BAI score was 10.66±9.45, indicating mild anxiety. The mean MAS score was 37.71±10.11, indicating mari¬tal maladjustment. The mean GRISS score was 31.30±12.28, which indicated no sexual dys¬function. We found a negative correlation between anxiety and marital adjustment (p=0.020) and a positive correlation between anxiety and sexual dysfunction (p=0.006). Conclusion: The anxiety level of pregnant women can be affected by marital adjustment and sexual satisfaction. Pregnant women with marital maladjustment should be assessed for anxiety in pregnancy during their visits to healthcare centers.