Pregnancy-related anxiety symptoms and associated factors amongst pregnant women attending a tertiary hospital in south-west Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy can be associated with anxiety symptoms because of anticipated uncertainty.

Aim: This study investigated pregnancy-related anxiety symptoms (PRASs) and their associated factors amongst pregnant women.

Setting: Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Methods: This cross-sectional survey involved 230 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at a tertiary teaching hospital in Nigeria. Pregnancy-related anxiety symptoms, maternal worries, personality traits and social support were measured by using Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS), Cambridge Worry Scale (CWS), Big Five Personality Inventory (BFI-10) and Maternal Social Support Scale (MSSS) respectively. Socio-demographic and obstetric details were also obtained. The Chi-square, t-test and logistic regression were used.

Results: Respondents’ mean age was 28.2 ± 5.4 years, whilst 192 (83.5%) were of Yoruba ethnicity. Twenty-four respondents (10.4%) were in the first trimester, 85 (37.0%) in the second and 121 (52.6%) in the third trimester. Some 154 (67.0%) were parous. The prevalence of PRAS and major maternal worries were 43.5% and 55.7% respectively. The socio-demographic factors significantly associated with PRAS were age (p = 0.004), ethnicity (p = 0.001), educational level (p = 0.011) and living arrangement (p = 0.029). Associated obstetric factors include trimester (p = 0.01), hypertension (p = 0.006), past miscarriage(s) (p = 0.013) and past pregnancy complication (p = 0.030). Significant psychosocial factors were partner social support (p = 0.038), maternal worries (p < 0.001) and extraversion (p = 0.016). Factors that contributed significantly to regression models were older maternal age and socio-medical worries.

Conclusion: High level of PRAS and major maternal worries were common amongst antenatal clinic attendees of a tertiary teaching hospital in Nigeria. Older maternal age and socio-medical maternal worries are important predictors of PRAS.