Factors Associated with Pregnancy and Maternity Adjustment of Pregnant Women in the Prenatal Period

Abstract

Aim: Pregnancy is an important period for both the women and their families due to occurring the many physiological and psychological changes.The adaptation levels of the pregnant to the alterations are related with her family and social environment during this period.Moreover, the adaptability of mother to these changes affects the mother-infant bounding positively.The aim of this study is to determine the factors associated with the adaptation to the pregnancy and motherhood of women during the prenatal period. Material and Method: This descriptive research was conducted based on the data of 183 pregnant women, over 18 years of age. All of the data has been collected from the participants consulting to the outpatient clinics of Family Medicine and Gynecology andObstetrics at a university hospital during between February and May 2018 through both the demographic questionnaire and the Lederman Prenatal Self Evaluation Scale (LPSES).The mean of the two groups were compared with t test and Mann-Whitney U test statistically, and also the averages of more than two groups were analyzed with the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results:The educational statuses of the pregnant women were highest in primary school graduates (53.5%).The minimum total score of the LPSES was 107 and the maximum was 257 (mean=174).The comparison of LPSES mean scores for desiring and having information about pregnancy was statistically significant (p=0.013),(p=0.029). Conclusion:The adaptation to the pregnancy and motherhood is related with desiring and having information about pregnancy, and the extending pre-pregnancy education to couples can lead to the improvements in the level of adaptation to the motherhood for the pregnant women.