Avaliação da autoestima e suporte social em um grupo de gestantes

Abstract

Pregnancy is a complex process that involves a series of physiological and psychological changes in a woman's body, aiming at preparing her for the development and birth of her baby. This study aimed to verify the relationship between the level of social support, self-esteem and sociodemographic variables in a group of pregnant women. This is a cross-sectional study, in which 94 pregnant women, over 18 years of age, were evaluated in all stages of pregnancy. Data were obtained through a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Data analysis was performed using non-parametric statistics, adopting a significance level of 5%. The results indicated that the variables maternal age, gestational age and trimester of pregnancy were not correlated with levels of self-esteem and social support. The variables that were significantly associated with self-esteem and social support were marital status and prior planning of pregnancy. The variable economic class showed a positive correlation with self-esteem and social support, although of weak intensity. The self-esteem variable was strongly correlated with social support. It can be concluded that is necessary to consider the importance of a social support network and continuous support for pregnant women, in order to ensure their mental health. Therefore, public policies aimed at pregnant women should always consider monitoring and assessing psychosocial variables during prenatal care, helping to ensure good physical and emotional development of the mother-baby dyad.