abstract
Objective: To determine the prevalence of pregnancy-specific anxiety (PSA) and its associated factors
among pregnant women during the three trimesters of pregnancy.
Design: A prospective explorative survey was conducted among 500 low-risk Indian pregnant women of
age 18–35 years.
Setting: A major maternity government hospital in southern state of Kerala, India.
Participants: 500 low risk pregnant women who attended the major maternity government hospital during
the period June 2004–July 2005 were selected as convenient sample.
Methods: An exploratory research design with a prospective cohort approach was adopted for the study.
State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Pregnancy-Specific Anxiety Inventory (PSAI) were used to collect
the data.
Results: Highest prevalence of pregnancy-specific anxiety (PSA) was reported during the third trimester
of pregnancy. All pregnant women rated high levels of third trimester childbirth anxiety compared to
other three components of pregnancy-specific anxiety. Nulliparous pregnant women reported higher
levels of PSA than parous pregnant women (M = 134.40, M = 116.8). Young age, nulliparous status and
nuclear family nature were identified as common risk factors of pregnancy-specific anxiety.
Conclusion: During the transition to motherhood, the risk factors and timing of heightened
pregnancy-specific anxiety differ. Higher prevalence of pregnancy anxiety among nulliparous and
younger pregnant women necessitates an integrated routine screening of PSA during prenatal care.
Early detection, prevention and management of pregnancy anxiety will enable women to cope with
the challenges of pregnancy.
2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license