Impacto da perceção de intimidade relacional, da satisfação conjugal e das preocupações sentidas durante a gravidez na morbilidade psicológica da mulher grávida

Abstract

Pregnancy can be a risk for the development of psychological morbidity in women. This study assessed the relationship between perception of relational intimacy, marital satisfaction, concerns experienced during pregnancy, and psychological morbidity, and analyzed the predictors of psychological morbidity in a sample of 200 pregnant women. The results revealed that multiparous pregnant women have higher anxiety than primiparous and that higher concerns are associated with more psychological morbidity, and better perception of relational intimacy and marital satisfaction with less psychological morbidity. Additionally, we found that anxiety is predicted by age (being younger), past history of psychopathology and concerns, with the model explaining 19.8% of the variance. Depression is predicted by age (being younger), perception of relational intimacy (negative), past history of psychopathology, and concerns, with the model explaining 14.8% of the variance. The stress is predicted by age (being younger), pregnancy planning (less), past history of psychopathology, and concerns, with the model to explain 19.3% of the variance. Furthermore, we found better perception of relational intimacy and marital satisfaction, and lesser psychological morbidity in pregnant women who had a planned pregnancy. Perception of relational intimacy displayed a positive relationship with marital satisfaction and a negative relationship with concerns. The results revealed the need to assess and implement intervention programs at the mental health level in pregnant woman.

Date of Award	2015
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Eleonora C. V. Costa (Supervisor)