Assessment of Mental Health in Pregnant Women Attending Health Centers in Sari, Iran

Background and purpose: Pregnancy is one of the factors that affect the mental and physical health of women. The aim of this study was to determine mental health in pregnant women and its related factors. Materials and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 834 pregnant women in health centers in Sari, Iran, 2017. The Persian version of Symptoms checklist-90-R was used. Data analysis was done in SPSS V22 using independent T test, One-way ANOVA, and Chi-square. Kruskal–Wallis test was applied in absence of normality assumption. Results: The mean age of participants was 25.5±507 years and the mean gestational age was 23 weeks. Among the subjects 689 (82.6%) were healthy, 141 (16.9%) were found with moderate disorders and 4 (0.5%) had moderate to severe disorders. Somatization (28.6%) and hostility (17%) were the highest and lowest prevalent disorders, respectively. Comparing the mean scores of the nine aspect of the Symptoms checklist-SCL-90-R showed significant differences between different age groups, educational level, occupation, gestational age, and problems in previous pregnancies (P<0.05). Conclusion: Current findings indicated a mild to moderate prevalence of psychiatric disorders in pregnant women. The severity of each mental health disorder was linked to demographic characteristics, gestational age, problems in previous pregnancies, and unwanted pregnancies.