A qualitative investigation on mothers’ perception of socioeconomic determinants of induced anxiety during pregnancy

Objective (s): Several studies have showed associations between anxiety during pregnancy and adverse maternal and child health outcome. This study aimed to explore this relationship among Iranian pregnant women. This was a qualitative study. To collect data purposive sampling and face-to-face semi-structured in-depth interviews were used. Women were asked to explain their experiences and perceptions on socioeconomic issues and induced anxiety during pregnancy. A conventional content analysis approach was used for analyzing the data. Data analysis was conducted using MAXQDA software. Twenty eight pregnant women from different social backgrounds, educational levels and ethnicity aged 18-41 years old participated in this study. Socioeconomic determinants of induced anxiety were found to be:  pregnancy interference with the social role, gender discrimination, financial responsibilities of raising a child, unnecessary interfering of significant others, quality of support. The findings suggest that timely screening of at risk mothers and strengthening prenatal related education specially trying to change incorrect believes are essential for reducing anxiety during pregnancy.