The Study on Stress and Related Factors Among Pregnant Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Tertiary Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Covid 19 is one of the causes of stress among pregnant women. Stress increases the risk of complications in pregnancy and birth. The objectives were to assess the stress level among pregnant women attending Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic at Hospital Sains Malaysia and find an association between stress levels during the COVID-19 pandemic and related factors (employment status, education level, and physical activity). The research design used in this study is cross-sectional - a self-administered questionnaire involving 207 pregnant mothers using simple random sampling methods. Most respondents had mild stress, 60.4%, followed by 39.6%, moderate and non-having high stress. There was a statistically significant association between stress level and employment status (p=0.003). Thus, early detection can prevent complications and enable mothers to go through pregnancy happily.