The International Tinnitus Journal

High-Risk Pregnancy and Resilience: Unraveling the Links to Prenatal Anxiety and Depression

Author(s): Amal I Khalil*, Howaida S Saati , Tahany E Amr

Objective: The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between resiliency and the prevalence and severity of prenatal anxiety and depression in the context of high-risk pregnancies. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional correlational survey design was used. A convenience sample of 404 high-risk pregnant women from a maternity department at the National Guard Health Affairs hospital, in Jeddah completed three online scales: the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7. Results: Most women (89.85%) had low resilience, while only 1.98% had high resilience. There was a strong negative correlation between resilience and depression (r = -0.81, p < 0.001) and between resilience and anxiety (r = -0.79, p < 0.001). Women with low resilience had higher levels of depression and anxiety than women with high resilience. Additionally, women with high-risk pregnancies who have higher levels of resilience are more likely to have normal vaginal delivery, to be employed, and to have fewer pregnancy complications than those who have lower levels of resilience Conclusion: Resilience is an important factor for the mental health of women with high-risk pregnancies. Interventions to enhance resilience may help reduce the psychological burden of high-risk pregnancies and improve maternal and fetal outcomes. Further research is needed to explore the causal mechanisms and the modifiable factors that influence resilience.

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