Life Satisfaction Related to Intended and Unintended Pregnancies of Rural Women in Bangladesh

Abstract

Life satisfaction is the most pivotal elements that arise in marital satisfaction of couples. The purpose of this study was to show the importance of mental health and life satisfaction of pregnant women during pregnancy. This study was conducted on two groups of subjects, women with intended pregnancy (n = 101) and women with unintended pregnancy (n = 100), a total of 201 patients who admitted to one of the hospitals of Community Clinic Project, Fatepur, Pirganj, Rangpur for medical examination and a period of maternity. Sampling was done in a purposive sampling manner. The method of the study was a cause and effect-comparative one. The used questionnaire was made by the researcher consisting of the demographic variables, satisfaction with life and Diner short form of sexual function. After obtaining consent, questionnaire was completed by the complementary method. Descriptive statistics, percentage, mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the data. To evaluate the research hypotheses, inferential statistics methods, t-test for both groups and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used. According to the results, a significant difference was seen in life satisfaction between women with intended pregnancy and those with unintended pregnancy (P <0.0001). While there was no significant difference in the overall score scale of sexual satisfaction between the two groups of pregnant women but significant difference was obtained concerning sexual desire and sexual satisfaction (P <0.0001). Sexual desire and satisfaction in women with intended pregnancy was reported to be higher than those in women with unintended pregnancy. Finally attention to the psychological needs of pregnant women during pregnancy especially in women with unintended pregnancy will help them to prevent connubial problems and make their life satisfactory.