The effect of baby/child-themed advertisements on women's depression, anxiety, stress levels

Aim: To investigate the effects of baby/child themed advertisements on women's depression, anxiety and stress levels. Method: The descriptive and analytical study was conducted in the Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University Health Application and Research Center, Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic and Infertility Clinic, Afyon Private Parkhayat Hospital Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic and In Vitro Fertilization Center. Women were divided into 3 groups according to their pregnancy status as spontaneously pregnant women, those who became pregnant with assisted reproductive techniques and those who tried assisted reproductive techniques but could not become pregnant. Each group consisted of 30 people. Data were collected with the "Socio-Demographic Characteristics Data Form" and the "Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-42)" and analyzed with the SPSS 29.0 package program. Results: When the mean scores of the women on the depression, anxiety and stress scales were compared and examined according to the groups, it was determined that the difference between the groups was statistically significant (p<0.05). It was determined that baby-themed advertisements increased the mean scores of the depression, anxiety and stress scales of women who tried Assisted Reproductive Techniques and could not conceive. Conclusions: It is thought that baby/child themed advertisements affect women's depression, anxiety, stress levels and the time they spend watching related advertisements. Infertile women, who are in the sensitive group, should be provided with coping strategies to prevent them from being negatively affected by the advertisement groups they will frequently encounter in their daily lives. Key Words: ınfertility, depression, anxiety, stress, advertisement