Dyadic adjustment in pregnancy period

This cross-sectional, analytic study was made to determine marital adjustment of pregnant women. The sample included 152 pregnant women registered in Family Health Center No 1 in Efeler, Aydın. Self-reported data were collected via a questionnaire prepared by researcher and with Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), with official permission, ethics committee approval and oral-written informed consent of volunteers. Data were evaluated by Chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis H, Mann-Whitney-U and multiple regression analysis. P<0,05 was accepted as significant. Attendants' mean age and duration of marriage was 28.28±5.52 and 5.49±5.16, respectively. Of women 71.7% were housewives and 44.1% primary school graduates. Mean pregnancy duration was 22.35-±8.31 weeks, and 93.4% received antenatal care. 80% have got support from their spouses and got spiritual support (51%), and received support was found good by 57.7%. Women thought that pregnancy affects marriage (42.8%), peer relationships (52%) and spouse's approach (42.8%) negatively. Sample's mean DAS score was 96.35 ± 2.16; so, they had moderate marital harmony. Marriage/partner compliance was influenced mostly by family type, marriage type, obtaining information during pregnancy, spouse's attendance at antenatal care, health problems during pregnancy, spousal support, relationship with husband, status of marriage (How's it going), and effect of pregnancy on marriage (P<0,05). Husbands' attendance at antenatal care and pregnancy's effect on marriage affected adjustment positively, all others affected negatively. Couple's adjustment was most affected by "status of marriage", and least affected by "family type (P0.05). As a result, marital harmonies of pregnant women were medium, and were affected by a variety of factors, particularly marriage and pregnancy. Therefore, it is important that health staff should provide spouses' attendances at antenatal care and education and counseling and consider effects of pregnancy on marital harmony and make plans to improve marital harmony. Keywords: Marital/dyadic adjustment, partner support, pregnancy.