BACKGROUND:Pregnancy is associated with great psychological, emotional and physical stress. In addition to undergoing hormonal changes, pregnant women experience a change in their attitude toward life and learn to re-assess their skills and lifestyle. Lifestyle, in general, and Islamic lifestyle, in particular, is concerned with the different psychological, social and physical aspects of the individual’s life.AIM:This study was conducted to evaluate the correlation between Islamic lifestyle and pregnancy-specific stress in pregnant women.MATERIAL AND METHODS:This cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted on 300 pregnant women presenting to prenatal care clinics. Data were collected using a demographic, the Islamic lifestyle and the pregnancy-related stress questionnaires.RESULTS:The results showed a statistically significant negative correlation (r = -0.284) between Islamic lifestyle and pregnancy-specific stress (P < 0.01). The stepwise regression showed that the mean score obtained in the pregnancy-related stress questionnaire decreased by 0.75 per year of marriage and by 0.14 per point in the Islamic lifestyle questionnaire.CONCLUSION:There was a significant negative correlation between Islamic lifestyle and pregnancy-specific stress. Training mothers, raising their awareness and encouraging them to adopt an Islamic lifestyle may play a significant role in controlling pregnancy-specific stress.

Objective: Mental health problems in women during pregnancy are widely associated with the negative consequences of pregnancy. Various factors can affect the mental health improvement in pregnancy. The effects of lifestyle and especially the Islamic lifestyle on mental health are unknown. Therefore, the researcher determined to examine the correlation between the Islamic lifestyle and women’s mental health in pregnancy. Materials and Methods: The study on 300 pregnant women referred to the clinics affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences was carried out as descriptive cross-sectional. The research tools included the Islamic lifestyle questionnaire and DASS-21. Results: The results showed that there is a significant negative relationship between mental health and the Islamic lifestyle. (r = -0.310). The regression test results show that the mean score of the mental health problems decreases 0.09 per unit by increasing an Islamic lifestyle score. Conclusion: Since the results show that there is a significant negative relationship between Islamic lifestyle and the women’s mental health, interventional studies are suggested to increase awareness and change lifestyle in order to improve the mental health. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.19(3) 2020 p.394-400