Social support for pregnant women

Abstract

Introduction Social support is a type of interaction between people. The most important sources of social support are relatives i.e. partner, family, friends. Social support received by the pregnant woman influences acceptance of the situation and overcoming difficulties. Objective The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between various dimensions of social support and the obstetric situation of pregnant women. Material and methods The research was conducted from July 2014 to October 2015 among 415 women who were hospitalized and were clients of antenatal clinic. Each questionnaire handed to the interviewed women included: a survey of our own authorship developed to determine the characteristics of the women pregnant and standardized research tool Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS) by Schwarzer and Schultz. Criteria for inclusion in the study: pregnancy, age 18–40, no diagnosed mental disorders. Results As a result of the analysis, it was found that in pregnant women who were pregnant for the first time and the pregnancy was planned, the average value of currently received support was 3.27 and 3.24, respectively. For women who did not give birth, the average value of support demand was 3.05. In contrast, pregnant women in the second trimester of pregnancy showed a greater need for support and more often seek support. Pregnant women who participated in childbirth classes had an average perception of available support of 3.65. Conclusions The number of pregnancies, the number of deliveries, the trimester of pregnancy, the fact of planning pregnancy and participation in childbirth classes determined the intensification of support in the examined group of pregnant women.

Keywords

• pregnancy
• social support