The Relationship Between Coronavirus Anxiety and Hospital Anxiety of Pregnant Women Applying to the Hospital for Planned Cesarean Section

Objective: To determine examine the relationship between coronavirus anxiety and hospital anxiety of pregnant women who applied to the hospital for planned cesarean section. Design: This was a prospective descriptive study. Setting: This study was conducted in the three university hospitals in Istanbul. Participants: Sample consisted of a total of 142 women who applied for planned cesarean section between the gestational weeks 36-39. Methods: Data were collected using the &quot;Coronavirus Anxiety Scale”, the &quot;Prenatal Distress Questionnaire”, and the &quot;Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale”. Results: The mean age of the women was 32.14±4.25 years and the average period of gestation was 38.97±2.39 weeks. A moderately positive significant correlation was found between the coronavirus anxiety, prenatal distress, and hospital anxiety and depression scores of the pregnant women who participated in the study (p<0.001; r=0.493; r=0.393; r=0.413). Conclusions: Pregnant women tend to increase their anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was found that the COVID-19 stress was higher in those who were diagnosed with COVID-19 in their family, used protective equipment more, and had relatives who would support them in the hospital; whereas, their stress increased the levels of hospital anxiety and prenatal distress.