Pregnancy-related anxiety, social support and relationship satisfaction among sexually active university students

Abstract

The study sought to investigate the different relationships among Pregnancy-Related Anxiety, Social Support, and Relationship Satisfaction. A correlational research design was used, and a sample of 199 female Makerere University students aged 19-27 years were selected using a purposive random sampling technique. The data were collected using self-administered questionnaires and were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Our results showed that there was a significant relationship between pregnancy-related anxiety and social support (r=.145*, p=.041), pregnancy-related anxiety and relationship satisfaction (r=.160*, p=.024), and Social Support and Relationship Satisfaction (r=303**, p< .001). The results suggest that high levels of pregnancy-related anxiety were associated with high levels of social support and relationship satisfaction. This might suggest that individuals with pregnancy-related anxiety have a tendency of seeking for social support in form of advice about pregnancy prevention strategies. Furthermore, the results of this study suggest that pregnancy-related anxiety does not necessarily imply dissatisfaction in relationships. For instance, individuals in emotionally satisfying relationships are more likely to be sexually intimate, and hence exposed to moments that arouse pregnancy-related anxiety.