Pregnancy-related anxiety as distinct from state/trait anxiety and depression

Pregnancy is a period in which women can experience or develop feelings of anxiety. Research shows that particularly high levels of pregnancy-related anxiety may have detrimental effects on childbirth and child development. One could assume that general anxiety, or a tendency to worry and ruminate, and pregnancy-related anxiety are (strongly) interrelated. Similarly, pregnancy-related anxiety and depression may be associated, as both may develop during pregnancy and reflect an internalizing pattern of symptoms. Yet, recent studies suggest that pregnancy-related anxiety denotes an emotional state that is more contextually based than general anxiety and is clearly linked to concerns about one’s current pregnancy and as such may reflect a distinct type of anxiety occurring in pregnancy only. This chapter starts with describing normal patterns of change in maternal psychological well-being during pregnancy, including the occurrence and pattern over time of pregnancy-related anxiety. Next, this chapter will provide an overview of studies that examined the interrelationship of pregnancy-related anxiety and general anxiety or depression, across pregnancy. Finally, it describes the predictive validity of pregnancy-related anxiety, when compared to more general measures of anxiety across pregnancy.