Testing direct and moderating effects of coping styles on the relationship between perceived stress and antenatal anxiety symptoms

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to test the direct and moderating effects of different coping styles in mitigating perceived stress associated with antenatal anxiety symptoms among 755 pregnant women in Chengdu.

Methods: A cross-sectional study using a questionnaire survey was carried out. The Perceived Stress Scale, the Trait Coping Style Questionnaire and the Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale were used to measure stress, coping and anxiety symptoms, respectively. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the direct and moderating effects of coping styles in the relationship between perceived stress and antenatal anxiety symptoms.

Results: Direct effects of negative coping (NC) styles were found. Women with higher NC scores were more likely to have anxiety symptoms. Positive coping (PC) styles had moderating effects on perceived stress, whereas NC styles did not.

Conclusion: The findings of this study highlight the direct and moderating effects of coping styles. This knowledge is important to healthcare professionals in planning health service provision. Health services should dedicate resources to teaching pregnant women how to enhance PC styles, alter NC styles and cultivate optimistic thinking to alleviate anxiety symptoms.

• Antenatal anxiety symptoms
• chengdu
• coping styles
• perceived stress

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Corrigendum

Current knowledge on the subject

• Changes during pregnancy may tax a woman’s psychosocial and tangible resources, and resulting stress may lead to antenatal anxiety symptoms.

• Coping styles may be protective against the development of antenatal anxiety symptoms.

• Direct and moderating effects of coping styles on the relationship between perceived stress and antenatal anxiety symptoms are mixed in previous studies.

What this study adds

• Direct effects of negative coping styles are found between perceived stress and anxiety symptoms among Chengdu women.

• Positive coping styles have a moderating effect on ameliorating antenatal anxiety symptoms in women experiencing stress.

• Negative coping styles may not eliminate the effect of stress on antenatal anxiety symptoms.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the generous participation of the women in this research. We would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the administrative and nursing staff of Chengdu Women’s and Children’s Central Hospital. The authors thank the NUHS Medical Publications Support Unit, Singapore, for assistance in the preparation of this manuscript.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

This research was substantially supported by a grant from Macao Polytechnic Institute awarded to the first author (project code RP/ESS-01/2011).