The Correlation Between Distress in Pregnancy and Complaints and Quality of Life During Pregnancy

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between distress in pregnancy and complaints and quality of life during pregnancy. Methods: This correlational descriptive study was conducted with 393 pregnant women who applied to the pregnancy outpatient clinics of a public hospital between March and September 2019. Data were collected using Personal Information Form, the Scale of Complaints During Pregnancy and Their Effect on Quality of Life, and Tilburg Pregnancy Distress Scale. Number, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Mann Whitney U analysis, Kruskal Wallis Analysis, and Spearman’s Correlation Analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results: It was determined that 39.4% of the pregnant women were distressed. The Tilburg Distress Scale total mean score of the pregnant women was 25.03 ± 8.20, and their total mean score of the Scale of Complaints During Pregnancy and Their Effect on Quality of Life was 52.89 ± 22.26. There was a low negative correlation between the mean scores of the Tilburg Distress Scale and the Scale of Complaints During Pregnancy and Their Effect on Quality of Life, and as the distress of pregnant women increased, their quality of life got impaired depending on the common complaints during pregnancy (p < .05). Conclusion: It was found that there was a reverse correlation between the complaints, quality of life and distress during pregnancy, and as the distress of pregnant women increased, their quality of life got impaired depending on to the common complaints during pregnancy. In line with this result, it is recommended for midwives/nurses to include interventions to reduce distress and common discomforts in pregnant women within the scope of prenatal healthcare services.

Cite this article as: Köse Tuncer, S., Karakurt, P., & Kasımoğlu, N. (2022). The correlation between distress in pregnancy and complaints and quality of life during pregnancy. Journal of Midwifery and Health Sciences, 5(3), 114-121.