Research on the psychological stress and its associated factors of pregnant women during the epidemics of emerging infectious diseases / 公共卫生与预防医学

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the occurrence of maternal stress under the epidemic, and analyze its relevant factors, to provide a reference for improving pregnancy quality and psychological counseling services during pregnancy. Methods From April to July 2020, 293 pregnant women from maternity and childcare hospital in Wuhan and Huanggang were selected as the subjects of the cross-sectional survey. Results The average score of the PSS pressure scale for pregnant women was (17.75±6.07), among which no/mild, moderate and severe stress accounted for 22.8%, 63.1% and 14.1%, respectively. According to multiple linear regression analysis, the factors affecting the maternal stress level of pregnant women are poor psychological resilience (β=-0.206, 95% CI -0.288~-0.124), low family income (β=-0.370, 95% CI -0.729~-0.012), excessively fearful about their babies (β=1.775, 95% CI 0.640~2.910) and themselves (β=1.695, 95% CI 0.625~2.766) about infected with the new virus. Conclusion The present study explores the factors related to maternal stress and depression during the epidemic. For pregnant women with high psychological stress, it is recommended that medical staff and family members should take care of them in a timely manner, strengthen their social support, and provide psychological counseling positively in order to improve pregnant women's psychological mood and promote maternal and infant health.