Comparison of Stress Levels of High-Risk and Low-Risk Pregnant Women

ABSTRACT Introduction: Pregnancies can be classified as “low-risk” and “high-risk” in terms of risk situations during pregnancy. Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the stress levels of high-risk and low-risk pregnant women. Method: This experimental study included 300 pregnant women who applied to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine between September and November 2022. Results: When we evaluated the participants, who were divided into 2 groups according to their stress scores, the most stressed group was in group 1 according to the scale result. According to the scale result, continuous variables are generally similar between the groups. When the variables between these groups are taken into account, it is seen that only the weeks of pregnancy are different. The reason why this difference is significant is that group 1 is in an earlier week of pregnancy than group 2. According to this result, we can say that there is more stress in the earlier weeks of pregnancy. Conclusion: As a result of our study, especially in the early weeks of pregnancy, high-risk pregnant women experience more stress due to uncertainty about their pregnancy. Health professionals providing perinatal care to women should plan family support and psychological therapy programs, especially in the early weeks, for pregnant women with high-risk pregnancies. Keyswords: High Risk, Low Risk, Pregnancy, Stress.