Stress, anxiety, and social support among pregnant Japanese women: A qualitative study

INTRODUCTIONNo study has evaluated social support in the context of stress and anxiety management during pregnancy.This study aimed to explore stress and anxiety types experienced by Japanese women during pregnancy and the social support types for coping with them.METHODS An exploratory qualitative study was conducted to gain details of the stress, anxiety, and social support experienced during pregnancy.Data collection was conducted between January and April 2024, and involved a total of four focus group interviews with 10 participants recruited via convenience sampling.Thematic analysis was performed using the qualitative software package NVivo 11. RESULTS The participants' mean age was 32 years; three were multiparous, seven were primiparous.This study identified that 'physical' and 'life changes' due to pregnancy cause various stresses and anxieties.Emotional and appraisal support combine to emotionally reduce stress and anxiety throughout pregnancy, whereas instrumental and informational support seem to function by removing the causes of stress and anxiety.These four types of support were offered as 'support sought' and 'support received', and it was found that each could also serve as a source of different stress and anxiety.CONCLUSIONS This study indicates that Japanese pregnancy-related stress and anxiety stem from 'physical changes' and 'lifestyle changes', and that pregnant women cope with these multifaceted stressors by utilizing four types of social support.Future research examining details specific to each stage of pregnancy and incorporating the perspectives of support providers would yield valuable insights for establishing more effective support systems.