Comparison of Health Practices and Depression in Planned and Unplanned Pregnancies

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare health practices and depression in planned and unplanned pregnancies. Subjects and Methods: The study was designed as a descriptive cross-sectional study. The research sample consists of a total of 230 pregnant women with planned and unplanned pregnancy. The population of this descriptive study consists of pregnant women attending the obstetrics clinics of a public hospital. The sample consisted of 230 pregnant women calculated with the g-power program (115 planned pregnancies and 115 correspondingly selected unplanned pregnancies). The data were collected using the Descriptive Information Form, the Health Practices in Pregnancy Questionnaire, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Results: The mean age of the pregnant women was 29.06±5.71 (min: 18, max: 42). The Health Practices in Pregnancy Questionnaire scores of pregnant women were 127.10±12.03 for planned pregnancies and 124.06±12.00 for unplanned pregnancies. Women with planned pregnancies received 9.97±8.56 from the Beck Depression Inventory, and those with unplanned pregnancies received 10.83±7.75. No significant difference was found between the mean scores of the Health Practices in Pregnancy Questionnaire (p=0.058) and the Beck Depression Inventory (p=0.425) depending on the pregnancy planning status. When planned and unplanned pregnancies are evaluated separately, there is a negative correlation between Beck Depression Inventory and Health Practices in Pregnancy Questionnaire scores (p=0.006, r=0.179). As the Beck Depression Inventory score increases, the total scores of the Health Practices in Pregnancy Questionnaire decrease. Conclusion: Women with planned pregnancy had higher total scores on the scale of health practices during pregnancy than women with unplanned pregnancy. When planned and unplanned pregnancies were evaluated separately, there was a negative relationship between Beck Depression Inventory and Health Practices in Pregnancy Questionnaire scores. In maintaining maternal and fetal health; it is important to determine the health practices and depression status of women during pregnancy starting from the preconceptional period, to plan pregnancies, and to question negative health behaviors.