Exploring risk factors of pregnancy anxiety: a cross-sectional study from China

Abstract

Background In recent years, there is a growing tendency for pregnant women suffered from anxiety, which not only affects the health of pregnant women and the development of children, but also poses a serious burden on families and society. However, few studies have focused on the factors that contribute to anxiety during pregnancy, especially among migrants.Methods A total of 400 pregnant women from a tertiary hospital in Jinan, the provincial capital of Shandong Province. Anxiety was used as dependent variable based on Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). Descriptive statistics were presented and a multi-logistic regression analysis were conducted to explore the factors associated with anxiety during pregnancy. STATA 14.2 software was used for analysis.Results The prevalence rate of anxiety in pregnant women is 25.7%. The multi-logistic regression indicates that pregnant women who have longer hospital stay (OR=1.15, p<0.05), who live in rural areas (OR=3.81, p<0.05) and who have pressure during pregnancy (OR=3.98, p<0.05) are more likely to have anxiety. Meanwhile, compared with the lowest income group, group Q2 and Q3 was significantly associated with higher odds of anxiety (OR=1.89, p<0.05; OR=3.37, p<0.05). Those who are local residents (OR=0.59, p<0.59) and who have higher social support points (OR=0.95, p<0.05) are less likely to have anxiety during pregnancy.Conclusions Pregnant women have poor anxiety, and the influencing factors are complex and varied. Therefore, Risk factors such as migrants, living in cities, more life stress, lower family income, longer hospital stays, and less social support should be taken into concern and individualized intervention should be adopted.