Perceived Social Support on Depression, Anxiety and Stress During Pregnancy

The current study was conducted to understand effect of perceived social support on depression, anxiety and stress during pregnancy and whether there is any significant difference based on trimesters. The study sample consists of 107 pregnant women of age range 18 to 50 which was collected from different parts of Kerala. Google forms were used for the study and a questionnaire measure was used for the data collection. They responded to demographic variables, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The data analysis done by SPSS software version 23 using statistical indicators such as mean, standard deviation, Pearson correlation coefficient and ANOVA. Findings revealed that there is significant negative correlation between perceived social support, stress and depression. Also perceived family support and depression are negative correlated in pregnancy. In addition, there is a statistically significance difference in the mean value of depression between the different trimesters (first, second and third trimesters) we considered. Results clearly point out that psychological health of pregnant women is vulnerable and perceived social support positively affecting their mental health.