VP45.24: Health anxiety of pregnant women and its related factors during the pandemic of coronavirus

Abstract

The pandemic of COVID-19 affected many countries as well as Iran. The aim of this study was to evaluate the health anxiety of the Iranian pregnant women in time of the pandemic of the coronavirus. In this cross-sectional study 300 pregnant women in different trimesters (n = 100 in each trimester) were recruited. A demographic questionnaire and the Health Anxiety questionnaire were used to collect data. Because of quarantine data were collected through social media groups. The chi-square, ANOVA and multiple linear regression were used to analyse data. The total score of anxiety was 22.3 ± 9.5, 24.6 ± 9.3 and 24.6 ± 10.6 in the first, second and third trimester of pregnancy respectively. Totally 9%, 13% and 21% of the woman had severe anxiety scores (equal or more than 35 in the first, second and third trimester of pregnancy respectively. Pregnant woman in the thrid trimester significantly had more health anxiety score than the first trimester ones. Pregnant women in the third trimester had significantly higher scores of "total health anxiety" in comparison with that of the first trimester ones (p = 0.045). At the time of the pandemic of COVID-19, women in the second and third trimester of pregnancy were more worry about consequences of disease, but the total score of health anxiety was significantly more in the women in the third trimester of pregnancy. Health care providers should pay more attention to the mental health of pregnant women in times of crises such as Corona pandemic.