Dimensions of prenatal anxiety and their influence on pregnancy outcome.

Wtih the use of perinatal data from a prospective study of 73 primigravid women and their newborn infants, we determined that prenatal anxiety is not a unitary construct, but that it is useful to consider the distinct concerns of pregnancy. From interviews with the pregnant women, three dimensions of anxiety were identified: (1) anxiety about the pregnancy and approaching birth, (2) anxiety about anticipated care of the child, and (3) psychiatric symptomatology. Correlations of the three anxiety dimensions with background and perinatal outcome variables reveal the strongest associations between anxiety about pregnancy and birth with maternal age, education, and preparation for childbirth. Anxieties about pregnancy and birth and about parenting are related to administration of anesthesia during childbirth and the motor maturity of the neonate. The findings thus give evidence that even in a medically uncomplicated population, emotional states of pregnancy are rooted in the woman's background and may have an impact on perinatal events and infant functioning.