The Relationship between Women's Beliefs about Mental Illnesses in the Prenatal Period and Their Attitudes towards Seeking Psychological Help

<b>Abstract</b><br /> <b>Aim</b>: This study was conducted as a descriptive and correlational study to examine the relationship between prenatal women's beliefs about mental illness and their attitudes towards seeking psychological help.<br /> <b>Methods: </b>The study was conducted in a state hospital in Aksaray between March 18 and May 18, 2024. The population of the study consisted of pregnant women who applied to the gynecology and obstetrics outpatient clinics of the hospital, and the sample consisted of 215 pregnant women who met the research criteria and agreed to participate. Data were collected using the Information Form, Beliefs about Mental Illness Scale and Attitudes Towards Seeking Psychological Help Scale. The data were collected by the researchers using the questionnaire method. After explaining the purpose of the study, data collection tools were distributed to the pregnant women who agreed to participate in the study and they were asked to fill them out. SPSS 26 package statistical program was used to evaluate the data.<br /> <b>Result and Conclusion:</b> It was found that beliefs about mental illness scale total score and helplessness sub-dimension scale scores were higher in the first trimester and attitude towards seeking psychological help scale total scores were higher in the second trimester. Identifying factors related to seeking psychological help during pregnancy may benefit the implementation of interventions, and identifying women who are less likely to seek help may increase the rates of diagnosis and treatment of pregnancy mental health problems.<br /> <b>Keywords: </b>Pregnant; mental illness; psychological help.