Analyzing the quality of life and emotional state of pregnant women

Pregnancy is an important stage in a woman’s life, accompanied by significant physiological and psychological changes. During this period, the psychoemotional state of a pregnant woman is influenced by many factors, among which the quality of life and family relationships occupy a special place.

The aim. To assess the impact of quality of life and family relationships on the psychoemotional state of pregnant women.

Materials and methods. The study involved 78 pregnant women who were registered for pregnancy and childbirth at the KSC RAS hospital in Apatity, Murmansk region in 2023–2024 and gave birth at the beginning of December 2024. The average age was 31,3 ± 0,8 years. The control group included 58 non-pregnant women, mean age 32,7 ± 0,6 years. We used the SF-36 questionnaire and the pregnant woman questionnaire developed by the Central Research Institute of Healthcare Organization and Informatization of the Russian Ministry of Health.

The results. The results showed that the physical function (r = 0.48, p < 0.05) has an effect on the pregnant woman’s psychological state. Fatigue affects sleep quality (r = 0.35, p < 0.001) and increases anxiety (r = 0.43, p < 0.001). Intra-familial relationships (r  =  -0.42 p < 0.05) have a significant influence on the emotional background of pregnant women. Support of the partner, harmonious relations in the family contribute to reduce stress and increase the level of psychological comfort. In addition, there is a relationship between psycho-emotional condition and family status (r = 0.36, p  <  0.05), number of children (r = -0.32, p >< 0.05) and average per capita income (r = -0.31, p < 0.05). The emotional background of the pregnant woman is negatively impacted by complicated obstetric anamnesis, including miscarriages, complicated abortions, infectious and inflammatory diseases during pregnancy, and exacerbation of chronic extragenital diseases.

Conclusion. To improve the psychoemotional state of a pregnant woman, fullfledged psychological support is necessary at all stages of pregnancy and childbirth, including consultations and trainings with the development of social support measures and strengthening the institution of the family.

1. Abramchenko VV, Kovalenko NP. Perinatal psychology: theory and practice. St. Petersburg: SpecLit, 2019: 271. (In Russ.)].

2. Salov IA, Naumova IV, Parshin AV, Lomovitskaya MV. Psyhological status of women with miscarriage. Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproduction. 2023; 17(6): 740-750. (In Russ.). doi: 10.17749/2313-7347/ob.gyn.rep.2023.462

3. Brunton R, Wood T, Dryer R. Childhood abuse, pregnancy related anxiety and the mediating role of resilience and social support. J. Health Psychol. 2022; 27: 868–878. doi: 10.1177/1359105320968140

4. Hajure M, Alemu SS, Abdu Z, Tesfaye GM, Workneh YA, et al. Resilience and mental health among perinatal women: a systematic review. Front Psychiatry. 2024; 15: 1373083. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1373083

5. Graham AM, Doyle O, Tilden EL, Sullivan EL, Gustafsson HC, et al. Effects of Maternal Psychological Stress during Pregnancy on Offspring Brain Development: Considering the Role of Inflammation and Potential for Preventive Intervention. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2022; 7(5): 461-470. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.10.012

6. Tuxunjiang X, Wumaier G, Zhang W, Sailike B, Wang X, Jiang T. The relationship between positive psychological qualities and prenatal negative emotion in pregnant women: A path analysis. Front Psychol. 2023; 5(13): 1067757. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1067757

7. Horsch A, Garthus-Niegel S, Ayers S, Chandra P, Hartmann K, et al. Childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder: definition, risk factors, pathophysiology, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2024; 230(3S): S1116-S1127. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.09.089

8. Val A, Míguez MC. Prevalence of Antenatal Anxiety in European Women: a literature review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023; 20(2): 1098. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20021098

9. Tang X, Lu Z, Hu D, Zhong X. Influencing factors for prenatal Stress, anxiety and depression in early pregnancy among women in Chongqing. China J. Affect. Disord. 2019; 253: 292–302. doi: 10.1016/jjad.2019.05.003

10. Chen X, Liu M, Min F, Tong J, Liu Y, et al. Effect of biological, psychological, and social factors on maternal depressive symptoms in late pregnancy: a cross-sectional study. Front Psychiatry. 2023; 6; 14: 1181132. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1181132

11. Langille C, Andreou P, Piccinini-Vallis H. The Prevalence of Pregnancy-Specific Perinatal Anxiety in Nova Scotia. Matern Child Health J. 2023; 27(7): 1127-1132. doi: 10.1007/s10995-023-03639-y

12. Yasuma N, Narita Z, Sasaki N, Obikane E, Sekiya J, Inagawa T, et al. Psychological intervention for universal prevention of antenatal and postnatal depression among pregnant women: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis. Syst. Rev. 2019; 8: 297. doi: 10.1186/s13643-019-1238-7

13. Redondo MM, Liebana-Presa C, Pérez-Rivera J, Martín-Vázquez C, Calvo-Ayuso N, García-Fernández R. Exploring Self-Perceived Stress and Anxiety Throughout Pregnancy: A Longitudinal Study. Diseases. 2025; 13(4): 121. doi: 10.3390/diseases13040121

14. Lin SC, Tyus N, Maloney M, Ohri B, Sripipatana A. Mental health status among women of reproductive age from underserved communities in the United States and the associations between depression and physical health. A cross-sectional study. PLoS One. 2020; 15(4): e0231243. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231243

15. Mahin NR, Hossain MJ, Bhowmick B, Kundu LR. Investigating the Prevalence and Associated Factors of Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms Among Pregnant Women in Bangladesh: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study. Health Sci Rep. 2025; 8(8): e71144. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.71144

16. Battulga B, Benjamin MR, Chen H, Bat-Enkh E. The Impact of Social Support and Pregnancy on Subjective Well-Being: A Systematic Review. Front Psychol. 2021; 9(12): 710858. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.710858

17. East CE, Biro MA, Fredericks S, Lau R. Support during pregnancy for women at increased risk of low birthweight babies. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019; 4(4): CD000198. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD000198.pub3

18. Gadelha IP, Aquino PS, Balsells MM, Diniz FF, Pinheiro AK, Ribeiro SG, et al. Quality of life of high risk pregnant women during prenatal care. Rev Bras Enferm. 2020; 73: e20190595. doi: 10.1590/0034-7167-2019-0595

19. Ogawa A, Nakamura Y, Atogami F, Yoshizawa T, Takeishi Y. Comfort factors of working pregnant women throughout pregnancy. Japanese Journal of Maternal Health. 2015; 56: 292-300. doi: 10.1620/tjem.235.53

20. Goodman JM, Colon M, Cottrell EK, Guise JM. Work as a social risk factor in pregnancy: A systematic review of screening practices related to working conditions and family leave among pregnant adults. Birth. 2023; 50(1): 32-43. doi: 10.1111/birt.12695

21. Kumari P, Basu S. Postpartum depression and its determinants: a cross-sectional study. Cureus. 2024; 16(11): e74044. doi: 10.7759/cureus.74044

22. Matsuzaki M, Haruna M, Ota E, Murayama R, Murashima S. Factors related to the continuation of employment during pregnancy among Japanese women. Jpn J Nurs Sci. 2018; (2): 153-162. doi: 10.1111/j.1742- 7924.2010.00169.x

23. Lewis BA, Billing L, Schuver K, Gjerdingen D, Avery M, Marcus BH. The relationship between employment status and depression symptomatology among women at risk for postpartum depression. Womens Health (Lond). 2017; 13(1): 3-9. doi: 10.1177/1745505717708475

24. Novik AA, Ionova TI, Gandek B. Indicators of the quality of life of the population of St. Petersburg. Problems of standardization in healthcare. 2001; 4: 22-31. (In Russ.).

25. TA, Vasil’eva TP, Gur’ev DL, Tumanova NG. The relationship between the quality of life of a pregnant woman and a newborn child. Social aspects of public health [online edition]. 2019; 65(6): 6. (In Russ.)]. doi: 10.21045/2071-5021-2019-65-6-6

26. Gadelha IP, Aquino PS, Balsells MM, Diniz FF, Pinheiro AK, Ribeiro SG, et al. Quality of life of high risk pregnant women during prenatal care. Rev Bras Enferm. 2020; 73(Suppl 5): e20190595. doi: 10.1590/0034-7167-2019-0595

27. Marchetti D, Carrozzino D, Fraticelli F, Fulcheri M, Vitacolonna E. Quality of life in women with gestational diabetes mellitus: a systematic review. J Diabetes Res. 2017; 2017: 7058082. doi: 10.1155/2017/7058082

28. Kang H, Nho JH, Kang H, Lee S, Lee H, Choi S. Influence of fatigue, depression and anxiety on quality of life in pregnant women with preterm labor. Korean J Women Health Nurs. 2016; 22(4): 254-263. doi: 10.4069/kjwhn.2016.22.4.254

29. Litvinova AA, Morozova AS, Litvinova IA. Assessment of the quality of life of women in the third trimester of a physiologically occurring pregnancy based on the SF-36 questionnaire. Smolensk medical almanac. 2021; 3: 21-23. (In Russ.).