Fetal health locus of control in a sample of pregnant Turkish women

Abstract

Background/aim: To examine the relationship between sociodemographic and pregnancy features and fetal health locus of control (FHLC) in a sample of pregnant Turkish women. Materials and methods:The study was conducted with 256 pregnant women. Data were collected by demographic questionnaire and the FHLC Scale consisting of 3 components: 1) Internality Scale (FHLC-I), 2) Powerful Others Scale (FHLC-P), and 3) Chances Scale (FHLC-C).Results: The age of marriage was found to have a positive relation with FHLC-I (r = 0.141) and a negative relation with FHLC-C (r = -0.145) (P < 0.05). The age of first pregnancy was found to have a positive relation with FHLC-I (r = 0.127). Those who have a low educational level (r = -0.258) and income (r = -0.149), who are unemployed (r = -2.839), whose number of pregnancies is high (r = 0.152), who get pregnant unplanned (r = 3.839), and who come to their first prenatal examination late (r = -0.142) have a significantly high score of FHLC-C (P <0.05). Conclusion:It may be helpful for better outcomes of prenatal care to identify pregnant women who believe that their behavior has little effect on the health of their fetus and that it is controlled by chance.

Prenatal attachment, foetal health locus of control and influencing factors in pregnancy

“…In addition to sociodemographic factors, the culture in which the pregnant woman lived affected her prenatal attachment in terms of the meaning attributed to pregnancy and babies (Erdemoglu & Derya, 2018;Pattanasombutsook et al, 2020). One of the factors that affect the health of the mother and that of the baby is the expectant mother's health-related beliefs and attitudes (Ozcan & Duyan, 2015;Turriff-Jonasson, 2004). Upon the comparison of the mean FHLC subscale scores of the participants according to their sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics, this study found that there were statistically significant differences in the mean FHLC subscale scores of the participants based on their education levels, whereas there was no statistically significant difference based on their age, status of having a planned pregnancy, gestational week or risk status of their pregnancy.…”

Does maternal and fetal health locus of control predict self-care behaviors among women with gestational diabetes?

“…Since culture affects health beliefs and attitudes, another reason for inconsistency of the present study with the two can be explained through cultural differences in different populations. [ 22 ]…”

“…FHLC has two dimensions; in this case, internal dimension suggests that the mother believes she has control on the fetal health, and if she believes that chance or other powerful individuals have control over it, she has external dimension. [ 22 ]…”

“…[ 20 ] According to reports, women with an external fetal locus of control take more risks during pregnancy whereas pregnant women with internal fetal locus of control are more likely to change their lifestyles and adopt positive health behaviors. [ 22 ] While according to the study by Spirito et al . in the USA on pregnant women with type 1 and 2 diabetes and nondiabetic women, there was no relationship between following a diet and FHLC.…”

Early Life Nutrition and Energy Balance Disorders in Offspring in Later Life

“…Recent work by Neymotin and Nemzer has also detailed a concept around “locus of control” as relates to obesity [ 16 ]. Health locus of control has been associated with a variety of health outcomes and designed to predict behaviors and cognitive processes relevant to both mental and physical health [ 17 , 18 ]. In the context of energy balance, this concept suggests that, in humans, overlaid on the complex system for modulating energy intake, there exists a wide variation in “perceived locus of control”.…”