Expectations and Participatory Performance of Husbands in Improvement of Anxiety Disorders in Pregnant Women: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Purpose. Husbands’ participation is important in the success of maternal health programs. This participation is emphasized in all dimensions including mental health. This study was conducted to examine the husband’s expectations and participatory performance to improve anxiety in pregnant women. Design and Methods. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted via targeted convenience sampling in two public and private maternity care centers. 30 women who were 13–38-week pregnant were diagnosed with anxiety disorder in a Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-5 (SCID-5), and 16 husbands experienced a semistructured in-depth qualitative interview. Data were extracted by the conventional content analysis using MAXQDA software (version 18). Findings. Husbands’ expectations and participatory performance to reduce the anxiety of pregnant women were produced in three themes of emotion, behavior, and cognition in terms of the men’s and women’s perspectives. Approximately 70% of subthemes were common among women and men which included emotion (emotional psychological support, strengthening verbal communication, receiving attention and love, and creating a field of entertainment), behavior (following up on mother and fetus’s health, participation in housekeeping, compatibility to mood changes, material and financial provision, and companionship during childbirth), and cognition (increasing the knowledge in the field of pregnancy and the ability to resolve conflict). However, the men’s and women’s themes had some differences. Practice Implications. While men emphasized adjusting communication expectations and making positive changes in lifestyle, anxious women emphasized the themes of receiving attention and love, well-posedness, companionship in childbirth, and loyalty as important factors influencing the improvement of their disease.