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Background: Unintended pregnancies and intimate partner violence can adversely affect women, infants, and their psychological well-being. The study aimed to compare depression, anxiety, maternal-fetal attachment, and the prevalence of intimate partner violence between women with and without unintended pregnancies in Tabriz, Iran. The study sought to address the lack of research on this topic in the Iranian context., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 486 pregnant women attending health centers in Tabriz City between 2022 and 2023. A cluster sampling method was utilized, and data were gathered through the administration of socio-demographic, Maternal Fetal Attachment, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression, World Health Organization Domestic Violence, and Pregnancy Anxiety instruments. A general linear model (GLM), controlling for potential confounding variables, was used to compare anxiety, depression, and maternal-fetal attachment between the two groups. Multivariable logistic regression analysis, also controlling for potential confounding variables, was employed to compare the prevalence of domestic violence between the two groups., Results: The results of the adjusted GLM indicated that women with unintended pregnancies had significantly lower maternal-fetal attachment (Adjusted mean difference (AMD):-9.82, 95% CI:-12.4 to -7.15 ; p < 0.001)), higher levels of depression (AMD: 2.89; CI: 1.92 to 3.86 ; p < 0.001), and higher levels of anxiety (MD: 5.65; 95% CI: 3.84 to 7.45; p < 0.001) compared to women with intended pregnancies. During pregnancy, 40% of women with unintended pregnancies and 19.2% of women with intended pregnancies reported experiencing at least one form of physical, sexual, or emotional violence. The results of the adjusted multivariable logistic regression revealed that women with unintended pregnancies had a significantly higher odds of experiencing emotional violence (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.94; 95% CI: 1.64 to 5.26; p < 0.001), sexual violence, (aOR: 2.25; 95% CI: 1.32 to 3.85; p = 0.004), and physical violence (aOR: 2.38; 95% CI: 1.50 to 3.77; p < 0.001) compared to women with intended pregnancies., Conclusions: The study found that women with unintended pregnancies had lower levels of maternal-fetal attachment, higher levels of anxiety and depression, and a high prevalence of intimate partner violence, including physical, sexual, and emotional violence, compared to women with intended pregnancies. These results emphasize the importance of implementing policies aimed at reducing unintended pregnancies., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: An unplanned pregnancy may be followed by increased depression and anxiety. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the mediating role of partner's emotional reaction to pregnancy (PERP) on the relationship between pregnancy planning and prenatal mental health., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 303 healthy Iranian pregnant women during their third trimester. The levels of depression and anxiety were measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The PERP score was also measured using a researcher-made questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the plug-in application PROCESS macro., Results: The results showed that PERP score was reversely related to pregnancy planning and prenatal depression and anxiety. The direct effect of the pregnancy planning on depression (c = -.05) and anxiety levels (c = -.02) were not significant; but the indirect effect of pregnancy planning on depression (Point Estimate = -.379, CI: -.523 to -.250) and anxiety levels (Point Estimate = -.560, CI: -.741 to -.385) with the mediating role of PERP were significant., Conclusions: The results indicated that the effect of pregnancy planning on prenatal mental health is mediated by PERP, and in unplanned pregnancy women need to receive positive reaction of their partners toward pregnancy so that they can preserve their mental health.

Introduction : Since the maternal-fetal attachment level in unplanned pregnancies is weaker than their planned counterparts, this study aimed to determine the effect of counselling on maternal-fetal attachment in women with unplanned pregnancy. Methods : This was a randomised controlled clinical trial on pregnant women with unplanned pregnancy and weak-average maternal-fetal attachment scores. Participants were assigned to a control (n = 40) and an intervention (n = 40) group through randomised blocking. The intervention group attended 1-3 individual and 6 group counselling sessions and the control group received routine care. The participants completed the Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale before and four weeks after the intervention. Results : The mean (standard deviation) maternal-fetal attachment score of the intervention group was increased from 73.6 (8.9) before the intervention to 96.6 (9.3) after the intervention. However, the mean (standard deviation) maternal-fetal attachment scores of the control group were 76.0 (9.4) and 76.5 (6.4) before and after the intervention, respectively. The mean maternal-fetal attachment score of the counselling group was significantly higher than that of the control group (adjusted mean difference: 21.7; 95% confidence interval: 18.6 to 24.9; P < 0.001). Conclusion : Counseling has a positive contribution to improving maternal-fetal attachment in women with unplanned pregnancies.

This randomized controlled trial was conducted on 80 Iranian pregnant women with unplanned pregnancy. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups of intervention and control. The intervention group received one to three sessions of individual counseling and six sessions of group counseling each week in six consecutive weeks, and the control group received routine care. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were completed by the participants before and 4 weeks after the intervention. There was no significant difference between groups in terms of socio-demographic characteristics, and the baseline depression and anxiety scores (P > 0.05). The depression and anxiety scales were completed before and 4 weeks after the intervention. The mean scores of depression, state anxiety, and trait anxiety were significantly lower in the counseling group than in the control group 4 weeks after the end of intervention. It is recommended that counseling should be provided for women with unplanned pregnancy.

A woman's decision to continue or terminate an unplanned pregnancy is affected by a broad range of contextual and cognitive factors. The identification of women's perceptions of unplanned pregnancy is crucial for health care providers to be able to offer supportive care and counselling. The aim of this study was to develop an instrument to accurately measure women's perceptions of unplanned pregnancy: the Women's Perceptions of Unplanned Pregnancy Questionnaire. The instrument was developed using a methodological framework guided by Waltz et al. (2010). A conceptual model of the designed instrument emerged from the qualitative study using a content analysis approach conducted in Tabriz, Iran. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling method between June 2016 and July 2017. Participants were a sample of married Iranian women between the ages of 15 and 49 who had experienced an unplanned pregnancy, either unwanted or mistimed, within the last 3 months. Women with an established diagnosis of a psychological disorder were excluded from the study. The psychometric properties of the instrument were assessed using face, content, concurrent and construct validations. To evaluate face validity, qualitative and quantitative (item impact score) methods were used. The content validity was assessed by fifteen panel experts. In addition, concurrent validity of the designed instrument was tested using the Persian version of the Cambridge Worry Scale and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The construct validity was calculated by using the exploratory factor analysis method. Data were collected from questionnaires completed by 310 eligible women. Analysis of the data using exploratory factor analysis yielded 31 items in a unique six-factor structure. The instrument was found to have high internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.88) and adequate reliability (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient=0.89). A clearer understanding of women's perceptions of unplanned pregnancy may enhance reproductive services and interventions.

Aim: Primiparous women with unplanned pregnancies experience greater levels of anxiety that reduce their ability to perform their maternal role., Methods: This clinical trial was conducted in 2014 on 67 primiparous women with unplanned pregnancies visiting the health centers of Mashhad, Iran, who were randomly divided into an intervention and a control group. The intervention group received maternal role training based on Mercer's Maternal Role Attainment Theory, and the control group received the routine pregnancy care. Maternal identity was measured before training and 4 weeks and 4 months after delivery., Results: Four months after delivery, 28 women (80%) in the intervention group and 18 women (56%) in the control group successfully formed a maternal identity (P = 0.036)., Conclusion: A maternal role training program given based on Mercer's theory facilitates the formation of maternal identity in primiparous women with unplanned pregnancies., (© 2018 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.)

A study was carried out to determine the association between unintended pregnancy and pre- and postpartum depression in 163 women in Kermanshah city, Islamic Republic of Iran. Using the self-administered Beck Depression Inventory for educated women and a special interview for illiterate women, 105 intended and 58 unintended pregnancies were studied. Of the 58 women with unintended pregnancy, 43% reported attempting to abort the fetus. Depression at 37 weeks' gestation was slightly higher in the unintended than the intended pregnancy group (53.4% versus 41.0%; relative risk = 1.3) and depression 10 days postpartum was much higher in the unintended group (48.7% versus 25.6%; relative risk = 1.9). Screening for depression is recommended for pregnant women with unintended pregnancy.