Perceived Anxiety and Stress among Pregnant Women during COVID-19 Pandemic- A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Mental health and well-being is as important as physical health during pregnancy. But the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused more anxiety and stress among pregnant women. The augmented levels of anxiety and stress may have detrimental effects on antenatal women. Anxiety and depression in pregnancy can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes like increased risk of abortions, preterm labour and even foetal deaths. Aim: To assess the anxiety and stress levels among pregnant women attending a tertiary care hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala during the COVID-19 pandemic and to determine the associated factors. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 348 pregnant women attending a tertiary care teaching hospital in Thiruvananthapuram District in Kerala during the period October and November 2020 using a validated tool, Pandemic Anxiety Stress Scale for pregnant women. Higher scores indicating higher perceived anxiety stress with a maximum score of 60, categorised as normal, mild, moderate and severe with score between 0-14, 15-29, 30-44, and 45-60, respectively. Qualitative variables were expressed in frequency and percentage. Multivariate logistic regression was done to determine the factors associated with anxiety and stress. The p-value