THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL SUPPORT AND SOCIAL NETWORKS TO ANXIETY DURING PREGNANCY
Abstract
Cohen and McKay (1984) have presented a model of social support in which life changes such as pregnancy are conceptualized as stressors which create specific needs for individuals. If the individual's social network is able to meet those needs with support, the stressful impact of these changes wil be minimized. However, if these needs are not met, the individual will experience anxiety. The present study examines the application of this model to women's experiences during pregnancy. A nonprobability sample of 65 women receiving their prenatal care from Methodist Hospital of Indiana were the participants in the study. Each woman was interviewed during her fourth, sixth and eighth month prenatal visits. At each interview, information regarding her current state anxiety level, need for and access to informational, emotional and material support, frequency of negative interactions with members of her support network, satisfaction with her relationship with her husband/steady partner and support network characteristics was collected. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship of social support, relationship satisfaction and frequency of negative interactions to anxiety. The most consistent predictors of anxiety at each wave of data collection were women's need for emotional support and their satisfaction with their relationship with their partner. Informational support was found to be relevant to anxiety only at Wave 1. Material support was not significantly related to anxiety at any point during pregnancy. Although frequency of negative interactions had moderately strong zero-order correlations with anxiety, its contribution to explained variance in anxiety was only significant at the first wave when considered in conjunction with social support and relationship satisfaction. With regard to the relationship of network characteristics to social support, hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that the proportion of network members with children, frequency of contact and degree of intimacy significantly predicted support. Directions for future research and implications for the intervention and the prevention of high levels of anxiety during pregnancy were discussed.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology
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