Prevalence and determinants of the prenatal depression and anxiety symptoms in the last trimester of pregnancy: a Moroccan cross-sectional study

The third trimester of pregnancy is a stressful period that could express fear of childbirth, body image disturbance, lower self-esteem, and some other mental health disturbances. Family and social supports can relieve symptoms and make the childbirth experience pleasant. The main objective of this study was to assess prenatal anxiety and depression and reveal their predictive factors during the last trimester of pregnancy. A cross-sectional study was carried out with pregnant women (n = 178) during their third trimester of pregnancy in health facilities within the province of Marrakech. A questionnaire and six standardized scales were used. These were the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Perceived Stress Scale, Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale, the Body Image Satisfaction Scale, and the Assessment of Fear of Childbirth. Our data revealed that 60.11% of participants presented anxiety symptoms, while 44.38% presented depressive symptoms during the third trimester of pregnancy. A correlation between these two mental disorders and the pregnancy planning, and premenstrual dysphoria was found (p-value < 0.05). Stressful life events, body dissatisfaction, and fear of childbirth were significantly associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms during the third trimester (p < 0.01), whereas perceived social support was not significantly associated with either outcome (p > 0.05). Anxiety and depressive symptoms are common during late pregnancy and may adversely affect maternal and fetal well-being. Therefore, early identification of women experiencing these symptoms and timely psychosocial support may help reduce potential adverse outcomes.