The effect of perceived stress and social support in pregnancy on threatened preterm labor

In this master's thesis, it was aimed to determine the effect of perceived stress and social support during pregnancy on threatened preterm labour (TPL). This cross-sectional study was conducted with 371 pregnant women. Data were collected using the "Descriptive Information Form", "Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale" and "Prenatal Psychosocial Profile (PPP)". The mean age of the pregnant women who participated in the study was 26.5±4.6 years and 30.2% were university graduates. The rate of TPL diagnosis was found to be 23.2%. The mean scores of pregnant women diagnosed with TPL were higher in the stress subscale of the PPP and lower in the social support-partner and social support-environment subscales compared to those who were not diagnosed with TPL (p<0.05). It was determined that the perceived stress level during pregnancy (OR:1.05; 95% CI:1.00-1.10) and hospitalization due to TPL in the previous pregnancy (OR:5.92; 95% CI:1.71-20.47) increased the likelihood of being diagnosed with TPL (p<0.05). It was found that the likelihood of being diagnosed with TPL decreased when pregnant women had health insurance (OR:0.42; 95% CI:0.24- 0.75) and when the social support they perceived from their immediate environment increased (OR:0.97; 95% CI:0.96-0.98; p<0.05). It is necessary to increase the awareness of health professionals and pregnant women about the fact that the presence of a history of TPL in the past, increased perceived stress level during pregnancy, decreased social support from the immediate environment and lack of health insurance increase the likelihood of being diagnosed with TPL. Keywords: Threatened preterm labour, stress, social support, nursing