Mental Health Status and Marital Satisfaction of Pregnant Women Referring to Health Centers in Kashan, Iran

Stress during pregnancy can have a lasting effect on the mental health of women after childbirth. Statistics show that about 18% of pregnant women have major or partial depression during pregnancy, but many have not been screened or treated. Lack of treatment can have serious consequences for the mother and her child. The purpose of this study was to determine the mental health status and marital satisfaction of pregnant mothers in Kashan city, Iran in 2015. This was an analytical cross-sectional study. Using the convenience sampling method 202 pregnant women were selected from four urban health centers in Kashan, Iran and entered the study. Data were collected using a Diagnostic Interview, the General Health-28 Questionnaire and the Golombok Rust Inventory of Marital State. Descriptive statistics was used for data analysis, the statistical tests being one-way ANOVA, chi-square test, Pearson correlation test and logistic regression. The results showed that 26.7% of the pregnant women were suffering from psychiatric disorders, the most and least serious disorders being related to physical activity and depression, respectively. About 80% of the women expressed very good marital satisfaction. Further analysis of the data showed statistically significant associations between depression and age and anxiety, insomnia and duration of marriage, marital satisfaction and delivery type, and mental health and marital satisfaction. Furthermore, marital satisfaction had a negative association with education. (p<0.05). It seems that it is essential to develop and implement a therapeutic, psychiatric and health care model for women at risk of psychiatric disorders during pregnancy and after childbirth in the health service delivery system in Iran.