Management of anxiety among pregnant women with serious medical conditions: A multicentre study.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effectiveness of relaxation training on anxiety level of pregnant women with serious medical complications.

METHODS

The ex-post facto study was conducted from January to August 2018 at Allied and City hospitals in Jallalpur Jattan,Gujrat, Pakistan, and comprised pregnant women with serious medical conditions. Their medical symptoms were confirmed by a medical chart. Data was collected using the anxiety subscale of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21, and those with high levels of anxiety were retained. These women attended 60-minute relaxation training twice a week for 8 weeks. Data was analysed using SPSS 21.

RESULTS

Of the 126 women initially assessed, 50(39.5%) were shortlisted for detailed anxiety evaluation. Of them, 30(60%) were included, and after 3(10%) dropouts, the study was completed by 27(90%) women. There was significant difference in overall pre- and post-intervention mean values of anxiety (p=0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Relaxation training was found to have a significant effect in terms of reducing anxiety without the use of medications among pregnant women with serious medical conditions.