BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Stress and lack of social support during pregnancy are associated with adverse consequences such as miscarriage, nausea, vomiting, preeclampsia, preterm delivery, low birth weight and different types of mental illnesses. This study, therefore, aimed to determine the role of social support in prediction of stress during pregnancy.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 210 pregnant women aging 18-40 years, who referred to two teaching hospitals of Babol in 2013. The subjects filled out demographic profile checklist, Pregnancy Experience Scale (PES) and Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ) in the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy. The data were analyzed. 

FINDINGS: The mean score of social support in the pregnant women was 12.87±4.18 (range: 0-25). The highest level of social support in the three trimesters of pregnancy was received from family. The mean overall support in the first trimester was significantly higher than the second and third trimesters (4.50±13.48 vs. 3.83±12.25 and 4.06±12.87, respectively) (p<0.05). Approximately a third of women had experienced stress during pregnancy. Most of the unpleasant experiences occurred in the third trimester of pregnancy. The obtained results demonstrated that social support had a significant positive relationship with pleasant experiences and a significant negative relationship with unpleasant experiences and stress during pregnancy. Social support predicted 50% of the variance in stress scores during pregnancy. The strongest negative predictor of stress during pregnancy was family support (&beta= -0.470) followed by support from friends and neighbors, and subjects’ perception of support (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION: Considering the negative relationship between stress during pregnancy and support from family, friends, and neighbors, women’s health care professionals should implement effective strategies to promote the level of social support during pregnancy.