Perceived social support among pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic of a tertiary care hospital

BACKGROUND: Social support among pregnant women is identified to have a positive influence on maternal, fetal outcome, personal competence, and self-esteem. This study was conducted with the aim to assess the social support as perceived by pregnant women and to find out the association between perceived social support and sociodemographic, obstetric variables. MATERIALS AND MATERIALS: After obtaining approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee, a cross-sectional study was carried out among pregnant women attending the Antenatal Clinic of a Tertiary Care Hospital for a period of two months. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) was used to assess social support among study participants. RESULTS: A total of 111 pregnant women were included. Majority, 98 (88.30%), were educated till High School. Nearly 87 (78.40%) were in the third trimester and 68 (61.30%) were primigravidae. Mean MSPSS score was found to be 5.36 +/- 0.83. Majority, 75 (67.60%), had high social support (mean total score of 5.1-7.0). Those engaged in occupation had 2.922 odds for high social support (adjusted odds ratio = 2.92, 95% confidence interval = 0.612-13.95) when compared to housewives (P < 0.05). Women in third trimester had 2.104 odds for high social support, when compared to those in first and second trimesters (adjusted odds ratio = 2.014, 95% confidence interval = 0.715-6.185). CONCLUSION: Majority scored high on MSPSS. Furthermore, involvement in occupation was found to be a significant predictor of high social support among the study participants.