Some determinants of quality of life of pregnant women

Background: This study gives insights from the Croatian Islands' Birth Cohort Study (CRIBS) with a focus on health-related quality of life (QoL). The aims of the study were to investigate stress, locus of control, hope and depression as potential predictors of QoL of pregnant women. Methods: The sample consisted of 302 healthy pregnant women (18 to 28 weeks of gestation) who participated in CRIBS from February 2016 to June 2018, using a demographic questionnaire, WHOQOL-bref (4 domains), Multidimensional health locus of control scales, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and the perceived stress appraisals. Findings: Subjective QoL of pregnant women appears to be very high in all four domains. The greatest variance was explained in Psychological health domain (42%) and smaller amounts in Physical health (25%), Social relationship (29%) and in Environmental health (29%). Depression and Hope agency were the strongest predictors of all four domains of QoL of pregnant women, but structure of other predictors differs across four domains of QoL. Discussion: The selected set of predictors were significant predictors of QoL in pregnancy, especially for Psychological health domain. Additional variables and predictors of QoL domains need to be regarded further. Identifying predictors of QoL could promote development of prevention, treatment plans and interventions during pregnancy.