Examination of the effects of perfectionism, psychological well-being and intolerance of uncertainty on self-care affairs and coping attitudes in pregnant women

The study aimed to examine the effects of perfectionism, psychological well-being, and intolerance of uncertainty on self-care agency and coping attitudes in pregnant women. The descriptive and cross-sectional study included 321 pregnant women who received outpatient care or were admitted for inpatient treatment at Ordu University Training and Research Hospital between 30 July 2023 and 30 August 2024. Research data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the Pregnancy Information Form, Pregnancy Risk Assessment Form, Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, Psychological Well-being Scale, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, Self-Care Agency Scale, and Coping Attitudes Scale. The data were analyzed using independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Tukey HSD post-hoc test, Pearson correlation, and Regression analysis. Pregnant women the mean age was 29,06 ± 5,232 and 69,2% were in the third trimester of pregnancy. Perfectionism, psychological well-being, and intolerance of uncertainty together explained 28% of the total variance in self-care agency (R =,530, R²=,281, p<.001) and 12% of the variance in coping attitudes (R=,355, R²=,126, p<.001). Self-care agency explained 14% of the variance in coping attitudes (R=,374, R²=,140, p<.001). Pregnant women's self-care agency and coping attitudes were found to be significantly affected by perfectionism, psychological well-being, and intolerance of uncertainty. Midwives, in the services they provide, are recommended to consider the specified psychological characteristics. Keywords: Coping attitudes, Intolerance of uncertainty, Midwife, Perfectionism, Pregnant women, Psychological well-being, Self-care agency.