Psychology Research and Behavior Management (Nov 2023)
Assessment of Levels of Anxiety and Fear of Covid-19 in a Population of Pregnant Women in Spain
Abstract
Francisco Javier Muñoz-Vela,1,2,* Francisco Javier Fernández-Carrasco,3 Juan Gómez-Salgado,4,5 Regina Allande-Cussó,6,* Isabel Margarida Marques Monteiro Dias Mendes,7 Emilia Isabel Martins Teixeira-da-Costa,8,9 Juana María Vázquez-Lara,3 Javier Fagundo-Rivera,10 Luciano Rodríguez-Díaz3 1Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Málaga, Málaga, Spain; 2Obstetrics and Gynecology Area, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Málaga, Spain; 3Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Ceuta University Hospital, Midwifery Teaching Unit of Ceuta, University of Granada, Ceuta, Spain; 4Department of Sociology, Social Work and Public Health, Faculty of Labour Sciences, University of Huelva, Huelva, Spain; 5Safety and Health Postgraduate Programme, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Guayaquil, Ecuador; 6Department of Nursing. University of Seville, Seville, Spain; 7Unidade Científico-Pedagógica de Enfermagem de Saúde Materna, Obstétrica e Ginecológica, UICISA: E. Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; 8Department of Nursing, Health School, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal; 9Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing, Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; 10Centro Universitario de Enfermería Cruz Roja, Sevilla, Spain*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Juan Gómez-Salgado, Department of Sociology, Social Work and Public Health, Faculty of Labour Sciences, University of Huelva. Avda. Tres de Marzo, S/N, 21007, Huelva, Spain, Tel +34 959219700, Email [email protected]: The aim of the study was to assess the levels of fear and anxiety in the particularly vulnerable population group of women during pregnancy.Methods: Cross-sectional study between March 2022 and July 2022 involving 978 pregnant women aged 16 to 50 years. It was carried out based on the scale for the assessment of fear and anxiety in pregnant women (AMICO_Pregnant) and the collection of sociodemographic data. Normality analysis was performed prior to univariate and bivariate statistical analysis.Results: The sample was composed of a total of 978 pregnant women. The mean of the AMICO_Pregnant scale was intermediate (5.04 points; SD=2.36). The bivariate analysis showed a statistically significant relationship between the AMICO_Pregnant scale and the following variables: vaccination schedule status, contact with the disease, weeks of gestation, altered delivery or birth plan.Conclusion: Women with pregnancies closer to term, with no contact with the disease, without a complete vaccination schedule, or who had undergone changes in their delivery or birth plans, showed higher levels of fear and anxiety.Keywords: pregnancy, COVID-19, fear, anxiety, questionnaire, mental health, public health
