Factors Associated with Pregnant Women’s Perceived Stress and Coping Styles after the Devastating Earthquake in Turkey

OpenAlex İngilizce

Abstract Objectives This study aims to determine the factors associated with pregnant women’s perceived stress and coping styles after the devastating earthquake in Turkey. Methods This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 419 pregnant women between March 15 and May 15, 2023. Data were collected through the “Personal Information Form,” the “Perceived Stress Scale,” and the “Coping with Earthquake Stress Scale.” Results In this study, while the variables of employment status (P = 0.045) and number of pregnancies (P = 0.004) affected perceived stress, the variables of age (P = 0.049), income status (P = 0.003), place of residence (P = 0.036), and employment status (P = 0.001) were found to affect coping skills with earthquake stress. The Religious Coping sub-scale was a predictive factor on perceived stress (P = 0.002). In addition, a negative and linear relationship was found between the mean total score of the Perceived Stress Scale, the “Religious Coping” (P = 0.006, r = -0.134), “Positive Reappraisal” (P = 0.031, r = -0.106), and the total score of Coping with Earthquake Stress Scale (P = 0.005, r = -0.135). Conclusions This study found that there were some factors affecting the perceived stress and coping strategies of women after the earthquake, and the pregnant women used coping skills more as their perceived stress decreased; especially, they used religious coping and positive reappraisal strategies more.