communication skills and anxiety during pregnancy in nulliparous women: a cross-sectional study in an iranian setting

Background: physiological and psychological impacts of pregnancy may relate to anxiety symptoms in nulliparous women. an effective communication between couples can have protective effects against anxiety in this period. objectives: the present study intended to assess the relationship between communication skills and the anxiety during pregnancy in nulliparous women. methods: this study adhered to a descriptive cross-sectional design. in this study, 100 nulliparous women of 18 to 40 years old were selected through a two-stage cluster sampling in health centers of sari, iran (2014-2015). we used the spielbergerchr('39')s questionnaire to measure pregnancy anxiety and queendomchr('39')s questionnaire to assess coupleschr('39') communication skills. statistical-descriptive methods and pearson correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data. results: the mean age of the women participating in the study was 27.15±4.69. the results showed that there was a negative significant correlation between communication skills and state (r=-0.45, p<0.01) and trait anxiety (r=-0.51, p<0.01). however, there was no significant relationship between one of the subscales of communication skills (assertiveness) and state and trait anxiety. conclusion: this study indicated a negative correlation between communication skills and pregnancy anxiety. strong communication skills could diminish pregnancy anxiety and eventually lead to higher psychological health.