Relationship between Social Support and Anxiety caused by COVID-19 in Pregnant Women

Pregnancy itself is a stressful event that can be affected by the current outbreak of COVID-19. It is important to pay attention to the factors that reduce the anxiety caused by COVID-19 epidemics in pregnant women. Therefore, this study was performed with aim to determine the relationship between social support and anxiety caused by the epidemic of COVID-19 in pregnant women.

This cross-sectional, correlational study was performed on 200 pregnant women in 2020. Sampling tools included a demographic and midwifery information questionnaire, Perceived Social Support-Family questionnaire (pss-fa), and a questionnaire for anxiety in Pregnant Women caused by COVID-19 epidemic. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 16) and Pearson correlation coefficient, ANOVA and independent t-test, and single-variable linear regression. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The prevalence of anxiety caused by COVID-19 epidemics was significantly different in the weak, moderate, and strong social support subgroups (P<0.001). The results of correlation test showed significant inverse relationship between anxiety caused by COVID-19 and the level of social support received by pregnant women (Pearson correlation coefficient=-0.211, p=0.003); this means that increasing the level of social support from the family reduces the level of anxiety caused by COVID-19 epidemics in pregnant women.

Considering the inverse relationship between the rate of anxiety caused by COVID-19 epidemic and the level of social support received by pregnant women, it seems that supportive measures by the family and those around them are essential.