Pregnancy-Specific Anxiety and Associated Factors among Pregnant Women Attending Urban Primary Healthcare Centres in Makassar, Indonesia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Pregnancy-specific anxiety is a common perinatal mental health problem that may affect maternal wellbeing and pregnancy outcomes, making the identification of associated factors important for supporting early detection in antenatal care. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of, and factors associated with, pregnancy-specific anxiety among pregnant women attending urban primary healthcare centres. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to February 2025 at four primary healthcare centres in Makassar, Indonesia. A total of 218 pregnant women were recruited consecutively with proportional allocation. Pregnancy-specific anxiety was measured using the Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire–Revised 2, mental health knowledge using the Mental Health Knowledge Scale, and perceived social support using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Data were analysed using chi-square tests and binary logistic regression. Results Pregnancy-specific anxiety was identified in 44.5% of participants. After mutual adjustment, third-trimester gestation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 7.08; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.79–17.96), a history of abortion (aOR 4.24; 95% CI 1.57–11.49), poor mental health knowledge (aOR 3.81; 95% CI 2.01–7.24), and primigravida status (aOR 1.92; 95% CI 1.02–3.62) were associated with anxiety. Sociodemographic characteristics, parity, pregnancy planning, pregnancy complications, and perceived social support showed no significant association. Conclusions Almost half of the pregnant women attending urban primary health care experienced pregnancy-specific anxiety. Anxiety was more closely associated with obstetric history and mental health knowledge than with sociodemographic characteristics or perceived social support. Because of the cross-sectional design, these findings cannot establish causal relationships.