EFFECT OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC ON ANXIETY IN PREGNANCY

Abstract

Abstract Objective There is already anxiety during pregnancy, and by the Covid 19 pandemic it has become even more complex. Being pregnant has become more difficult to tolerate mentally with the physiological changes that also exist and the anxiety that Covid 19 adds. The aim of our study is to clarify the anxiety level of pregnant women during the Covid 19 pandemic. Data has been collected from three hospitals making our study multicentric. Material and method Our study concluded with a total of 450 participants who visited centers(May-2020/2022) during their pregnancy. 38 patients were removed from the study for having a high-risk pregnancy that can affect their mood and anxiety levels unrelated to the pandemic. First, written consent has been taken from the participants. After that, they were asked to answer survey tests that demonstrate their sociodemographic and state-trait anxiety scale. Results As a result, our study demonstrates that the pandemic affected the mood of patients in a negative manner. In detail, only 3.6 % of our patients have low anxiety levels while most of our participants have high anxiety levels of 20.8 % which makes our study statistically significant. The rest of our patients are in the medium anxiety group. Conclusion As a result, with statistical significance, we concluded that psychological support during the pandemic period may be beneficial for a healthy pregnancy.