DETERMINATION OF FEAR OF COVID-19 AND DISTRESS LEVELS OF PREGNANT WOMEN ADMITTED TO OBSTETRICS EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS

Background. The aim of this study was to determine the fear of Covid-19 and pregnancy distress levels experienced by pregnant women who were admitted to the obstetrics emergency service during the pandemic. Material and methods. This descriptive study was conducted using the face-to-face interview technique with 194 pregnant women who met the inclusion criteria of the study and were admitted to the Obstetrics Emergency Service of the University of Health Sciences Zeynep Kamil Gynecology and Pediatrics Training and Research Hospital in Turkiye between December 2020 and February 2021. Results. The mean age of the pregnant women included in the study was 28.37, and 51.1% of them were found to be multiparous. The mean Fear of Covid-19 Scale (FCV-19S) of the pregnant women was 19.50 +/- 6.64 and the mean Tilburg Pregnancy Distress Scale (TPDS) was 34.79 +/- 6.82. It was determined that the educational status of the pregnant women differed statistically significantly (p<0.05) according to the FCV-19S. It was found that there is a positive and strong relationship between the FCV-19S and the TPDS (r=0.216; p=0.002) and "Negative Affect" (r=0.211; p=0.003). Conclusions. During the Covid-19 pandemic period, the Covid-19 fear and distress levels of the pregnant women who were admitted to the Obstetrics Emergency Service were determined as moderate. Since the fear of Covid-19 has an effect on pregnancy distress levels, it is recommended that nurses should be aware of the distress experienced by pregnant women and be their pregnancy support.