The burden of antenatal anxiety: A cross-sectional study of prevalence and selected risk factors among antenatal women in a government hospital in the Colombo district

Introduction: Pregnancy is a challenging period for both the physical and mental health of a woman, increasing her vulnerability to mental health conditions during this period. Antenatal anxiety is one such overlooked condition which can result in adverse outcomes to both mother and child, as well as to their family and larger society.Objective: This study assessed the proportion of antenatal anxiety and factors associated with it among 122 women attending antenatal clinics at a government hospital in the Colombo district.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among systematically sampled pregnant women attending antenatal clinics. Their level of antenatal anxiety was assessed using the Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect information on selected socio-demographic, family-related, current pregnancy-related, previous pregnancy-related, health-related factors, and coping skills of the participants.Results: Overall antenatal anxiety among the participants was 42.6%. Among the correlates studied for association with antenatal anxiety, only maternal age, educational level, pregnancy-related medical conditions, younger age of partner, and the women’s choice of coping skills showed a statistically significant association.Conclusions: The high proportion antenatal anxiety in pregnant women calls for further research into this mental health condition, exploring in-depth through mixed methods studies, and also examine cultural appro-priateness of current anxiety scales to assess anxiety in pregnant women. It is important that clinicians assess pregnant women during routine care for such anxiety as well as consider implementing evidence-based psycho-social interventions as a preventative strategy.