Relationship between pregnancy stress and spiritual health in mothers referring to selected centers of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences

Pregnancy is one of the most stressful periods in a woman's life. Several factors, such as spiritual health, can affect mothers' adaptation to these conditions. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between stress during pregnancy and spiritual health.

The present descriptive study was conducted in 2021 on 352 eligible pregnant women referring to selected centers of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. Sampling was performed via the convenience method and continued until data saturation. The information was collected by two questionnaires and a checklist, including a social personality checklist, Poltsen-Ellison spiritual health questionnaire, and Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire (PRAQ). The data were analyzed in SPSS  statistical software (version 25) using a linear regression test to examine the relationship between pregnancy stress and and spiritual health.

Based on the present findings, the mean age of participating women was 28.6±1.8 years, the spiritual health score was 104.3±14.9, and the pregnancy anxiety score was 37.2±20.8. The results of the ANOVA test demonstrated that spiritual health was correlated with the number of pregnancies (P=0.012). Pregnancy stress showed a significant relationship with gravida (P<0.001), parity (P<0.001), and the number of children (P<0.001). Moreover, based on the linear regression results, spiritual health (B=-0.216) had a significant relationship with stress and was a negative predictor. In other words, an increase of one score of spiritual health decreases stress by 0.302.

Maternal health has been one of the most important health issues in countries. The present study confirmed the relationship between spiritual health and pregnancy stress. Accordingly, this experience can be used to help mothers manage pregnancy stress and anxiety.