Effects of the personality traits of pregnant women on pregnancy distress and prenatal attachment: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of the personality traits of pregnant women on pregnancy distress and prenatal attachment.

METHODS

The sample of this prospective, descriptive, and cross-sectional study included 273 pregnant women. A Personal Information Form, the Ten-Item Personality Inventory, the Prenatal Attachment Inventory, and the Tilburg Pregnancy Distress Scale were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the collected data.

RESULTS

The personality traits of emotional stability (β-coefficient = -0.471; P < 0.001) and conscientiousness (β-coefficient = -0.883; P < 0.001) were found to affect pregnancy distress (P < 0.001). The personality traits of agreeableness (β-coefficient = 0.650; P = 0.006), conscientiousness (β-coefficient = 0.949; P = 0.001), and extraversion (β-coefficient = 0.441; P = 0.006) affected prenatal attachment (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

It was determined that the personality traits of pregnant women affected their pregnancy distress and prenatal attachment levels. It is recommended that healthcare professionals keep personality differences in mind while questioning factors that affect pregnancy distress and attachment.