Comparison of Stress Levels in Risky and Non-Risky Pregnancies

Abstract

Objective: In this descriptive and comparative study, it was aimed to compare the stress levels between risky and non-risky pregnancies. Methods: Four hundred pregnant women participated in this study. Half of these women consisted of 200 women who spontaneously conceived and had no risk of pregnancy. The other half of the women constituted 200 women who became pregnant with assisted reproductive techniques and who did not have any pregnancy related risk or who had spontaneous pregnancy and who had a pregnancy related risk. Women were filled out Personal Information Form and Prenatal Distress Questionnaire. The risky and non-risky pregnancy groups were evaluated for homogeneity of variances with a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. Independent t test was used to evaluate the mean difference between the Prenatal Distress Questionnaire and the sub-scale for the risky and non-risky pregnancy groups. The one-way ANOVA was used to determine the mean difference between risky groups (risky pregnancy) and non-risky pregnancy groups. Results: Stress levels and financial concerns related to health care quality and health status were found to be higher in women with risky pregnancy. When stress levels were compared between risky and non-risk pregnant women, it was determined that pregnant women with hypertension experienced significantly more stress than other pregnant women. Conclusion: In risky pregnant women, especially women with hypertension problem, it is necessary to determine level of the stress. While giving nursing care to women with risky pregnancies, determining the stress levels and causes may have a positive impact on the pregnancy process.