Profile and Predictors of Maternal Quality of Life During Physiological Pregnancy: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Abstract

BackgroundQuality of Life (QoL) and its determinants are significant in all stages of life, including pregnancy. The physical and emotional changes during pregnancy affect the QoL of pregnant women, affecting both maternal and infant health. Hence, assessing the QoL of pregnant women is gaining interest in literature. We, therefore, aimed to describe the QoL of pregnant women during physiological pregnancy and to identify its associated predictors in women attending a public healthcare institute of Quetta city, Pakistan.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Sandeman Provincial Hospital Quetta city, Pakistan. The respondents were asked to answer the Urdu (lingua franca of Pakistan) version of the Quality of Life Questionnaire for Physiological Pregnancy. Data were coded and analyzed by SPPS v 21. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used to establish normality of the data and non-parametric tests were used accordingly. Quality of Life was assessed as proposed by the developers. The Chi-square test was used to identify significant associations and linear regression was used to identify the predictors of QoL. For all analyses, p < 0.05 was taken significantly.ResultsFour hundred and three pregnant women participated in the study with a response rate of 98%. The mean QoL score was 19.85 ± 4.89 indicating very good QoL in the current cohort. The Chi-Square analysis reported a significant association between age, education, occupation, income, marital status, and trimester. Education was reported as a positive predictor for QoL (p = 0.006, β = 2.157). On the other hand, trimester was reported as a negative predictor of QoL (p = 0.013, β = −1.123).ConclusionImproving the QoL among pregnant women requires better identification of their difficulties and guidance. The current study highlighted educational status and trimester as the predictors of QoL in pregnant women. Health care professionals and policymakers should consider the identified factors while designing therapeutic plans and interventions for pregnant women.

Predictors Related to Quality of Life in Pregnant Women

“…This has been confirmed by a study ( 25 ), showing that pregnant women with higher education were more affected by low self-esteem. On the contrary, another study ( 17 ) has concluded that the more educated women were, the more satisfied they were with their quality of life.…”

“…Other predictors such as age, trimester, parity, pregnancy planning ( 17 , 26 ), partnership ( 3 ) have also been found to be related to quality of life. These, however, were not statistically significant in our study.…”

Health-related quality of life during three trimesters of pregnancy in Morocco: cross-sectional pilot study

“… 6 , 13 However, in Slovac Republic, Pakistan, and Greece the HRQoL during pregnancy has proven to be good and excellent. 14 , 15 , 16…”

Kualitas Ibu Hamil Risiko Tinggi Di Masa Pandemi Covid-19

“…Kekhawatiran dan stresor wanita hamil akan bervariasi dengan faktor penentu yang berbeda-beda pula. Kajian profil dan predisposisi kualitas hidup wanita hamil yang dilakukan oleh Ishaq et al (2022) memberikan penjelasan bahwa usia, riwayat pendidikan formal, pekerjaan, pendapatan, status pernikahan, dan trimester kehamilan adalah karakteristik demografi predisposisi kualitas hidup. Hasil penelitian ini memperlihatkan bahwa status pekerjaan, riwayat pendidikan formal, dan status ekonomi berhubungan secara statistik dengan kualitas hidup wanita hamil dengan kehamilan risiko tinggi.…”