Participants, Pregnancy-Specific Anxiety Scale Study

Posted January 14, 2020 • Last updated September 22, 2020

Closed March 03, 2020

Open to Patient partners across the province

Last updated September 22, 2020

One in five pregnant people experience anxiety during pregnancy. There is a need for a well-developed scale to measure anxiety during pregnancy as existing scales are limited, so a team at UBC are conducting a research project to develop a valid and reliable tool to measure the Pregnancy Specific Anxiety. Any pregnant person, aged 19 years or older, with a BC Services Card or CareCard, is eligible to participate. Participation includes an in-person or over-the-phone interview as well as completion of online surveys before and after giving birth.

Background

Pregnancy-Specific Anxiety (PSA) is defined as nervousness about the baby and mother’s health, the healthcare system, and social and financial issues in the context of pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. It is accompanied by excessive worry and somatic symptoms.

Research Purpose

There is a need for a well-developed scale to measure PSA as existing scales are limited. The purpose of this project is to develop a valid and reliable measure, the Pregnancy Specific Anxiety Scale (PSAS).

Learn more about the project.

From Our Community

Shana Ooms

Executive Director of Primary Care Strategy, Policy and Quality — BC Ministry of Health

Where those of us in the room may have debated policy or wording, patient voices made sure patients were top of mind. And as a result, significant improvements were made to simplify something that was otherwise complex. Patient voices at the table bring us back to reality in terms of what we are trying to achieve.