Women’s views on anxiety in pregnancy and the use of anxiety instruments: a qualitative study

Abstract

Objective: To explore women’s experience of anxiety in pregnancy and views on the use of anxiety instruments in antenatal care.Background: Anxiety in pregnancy is associated with adverse birth outcomes, developmental and behavioural problems in infants and postnatal depression. Despite recommendations for routine psychological assessment in pregnancy, the optimal methods to identify anxiety in pregnancy have not been confirmed.Methods: A qualitative study using two focus group discussions was undertaken. Focus group one included women in a community setting and focus group two included women in a hospital clinic setting who had received additional support for anxiety in pregnancy. Participants were women who had given birth within the past nine months and considered themselves to have been anxious during their pregnancy.Results: Three main themes were identified using template analysis: sources of support, administration of anxiety instruments and the use of instruments to prompt discussion. Women stated that anxiety instruments could help them to identify their anxious feelings and prompt a discussion around those feelings. However, they expressed concerns surrounding the administration of anxiety instruments and questioned how useful they would be in helping women access help and support.Conclusions: The introduction of anxiety instruments in antenatal care may present an opportunity to discuss women’s emotional health and anxieties. Providing women with sufficient time to discuss their anxious feelings, identified by such instruments, could facilitate access to additional support.