Relationship of Informed Choice about Fetal Anomaly Screening with Worry and Anxiety in Pregnant Women

Background & aim: The purpose of prenatal screening programs during pregnancy is to empower the women to make an informed choice and reduce the uncertainty in decision making. However, the screening itself may cause worry and anxiety in the pregnant females. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of the informed choice in the pregnant females about fetal anomaly screening with worry and anxiety. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 160 pregnant females, who referred to the healthcare centers of Mashhad, Iran in 2014. The data collection was performed using the individual-pregnancy information and informed choice questionnaires, Cambridge Worry Scale, and Spielberger’s Anxiety Inventory. The data were analyzed using the Chi-square test, Spearman correlation coefficient, and logistic regression through SPSS version 16. The P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Out of the 160 pregnant females participating in this study, 85.6% (n=137) and 14.4% (n=23) of them had informed and uninformed choices about the screening tests, respectively. Based on the logistic regression analysis, pregnant women’s informed choice had no statistically significant relationship with worry (P=0.44), state anxiety (P=0.43), and trait anxiety (P=0.92). Conclusion: The process of informed choice is a very important part regarding the screening of fetal anomalies in pregnancy. Therefore, practitioners and midwives must ensure that the pregnant females have informed choice for these tests. As a result, their choice would have the highest level of satisfaction and the lowest amount of anxiety.