The Relationship Between Anxiety, Stress, Depression, Traumatic Childbirth Perception, and Prenatal Attachment in Pregnant Women: A Cross‐Sectional Study

Aim This study aims to examine the relationships between perception of traumatic childbirth, prenatal attachment, stress, anxiety, and depression in pregnant women. Method This cross‐sectional study involved 304 pregnant women who visited the obstetrics and gynecology outpatient clinic of a hospital in Türkiye between June 2024 and June 2025. Data were collected using a Demographic Information Form, the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS‐21), the Traumatic Childbirth Perception Scale (TCPS), and the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI). Descriptive statistical methods, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis were used in the analysis of the data. Results The study determined that 22% of pregnant women experienced stress, 45.1% experienced depression, and 62.8% experienced anxiety. The mean PAI score of pregnant women was found to be 40.53 ± 7.97, and the mean TCPS score was 71.64 ± 28.02 (moderate). The study found that stress, depression, and anxiety scores in pregnant women were significantly correlated positively with the TCPS score and significantly correlated negatively with the PAI score. Depression ( p = 0.003) and prenatal attachment ( p = 0.018) were determined to be the predictors of traumatic birth perception. Conclusion This study determined that as women’s depression, stress, anxiety, and levels increased, their perception of traumatic childbirth increased, and their prenatal attachment levels decreased. Depression and prenatal attachment were identified as predictors of traumatic childbirth perception. Providing mental health support to pregnant women by nurses can contribute to the protection and improvement of maternal and infant health.