Determination of the relationship between sleep quality andprenatal stress level in pregnant women

This study was conducted as a descriptive and cross-sectional study to determine the relationship between sleep quality and prenatal stress levels in pregnant women. The sample consisted of 379 pregnant women who visited the Bandırma Training and Research Hospital Obstetrics and Gynecology Outpatient Clinic between March and December 2024 and were selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the Personal Information Form, the Pregnancy Sleep Disturbance Scale (GYUS-BÖ), and the Pregnancy Stress Assessment Scale (GSDÖ) prepared by the researchers. The mean age of the pregnant women participating in the study was 28.09±5.09; the majority were university graduates (46.0 %), had a middle income level (75.2%), lived in a nuclear family (91.6%), and were housewives (65.2%). It was determined that 20.8% of the participants smoked and 76.5% experienced changes in their sleep patterns compared to before pregnancy. The mean GYUS-BÖ score was 61.23±11.83 and the mean GSDÖ score was 57.17±28.01. While no significant relationship was found between average daily sleep duration and stress level (r=0.04, p>0.05), a weak negative relationship was found between sleep problems experienced during pregnancy and stress level (r=-0.22, p<0.01); and a positive, moderately significant relationship was found between sleep problems and pregnancy stress (r=0.40, p<0.01). In conclusion, sleep quality was found to be low and prenatal stress levels were found to be moderate among pregnant women in general. It was observed that stress levels increased with decreased sleep quality; furthermore, sleep quality was lower and stress levels were higher among pregnant women with low educational levels, those living in extended families, those who smoked, and those with a history of miscarriage or stillbirth. Additionally, it was found that sleep quality decreased as daily sleep duration decreased.