Social support in the pregnant and non-pregnant women and its associated dimensions

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Social support is considered as a facilitator of health behaviors in women. This study aimed to evaluate andcompare the status of social support and its associated dimensions in pregnant and non-pregnant women.Methods: This analytical study was conducted on 310 pregnant and non-pregnant women referring to the health-care centers ofZarqan city in Shiraz, Iran in 2011. Participants were selected via convenience sampling. Data collection tools included demographicquestionnaire and Social Support Appraisals (SS-A) scale. Data analysis was performed in SPSS V.16 using descriptive (frequency,percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Chi-square, T-test, and Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlationcoefficient).Results: In non-pregnant women, mean of the total social support was 40.08±2.80, and mean scores of support from friends, spouse,family and others were 12.08±1.33, 14.02±1.56, 14.53±0.96 and 13.54±1.09 respectively. Among pregnant women these values were39.52±2.85, 11.72±1.59, 14.54±1.12, 14.38±1.06 and 13.41±1.18, respectively. The total support and support from friends weresignificantly higher in non-pregnant women compared to pregnant women (P = 0.05 and P = 0.03, respectively). On the other hand,support from the spouse was significantly higher in pregnant women compared to non-pregnant women (P = 0.01). Moreover, asignificant correlation was observed between the total scores of social support and employment status of spouse among pregnantwomen (P