Support Needs for Anxiety among Pregnant Women in Japan: A Qualitative Pilot Study

Abstract

Support needs for pregnancy-related anxiety among low-risk pregnant women remain unclear. This study aimed to clarify the kinds of support for anxiety that women seek during pregnancy in Japan. Data were collected in a semi-structured focus group interview involving five pregnant women who were not in specific risk groups, recruited from three facilities in Tokyo. We generated themes using inductive thematic analysis. This paper adhered to the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research. From the data on support needs for anxiety during pregnancy, three themes were derived: (1) seeking tailored professional support; (2) seeking continuous support within informal relationships; and (3) seeking others’ success stories in the same situation. These three types of support gave participants a sense of reassurance or raised concern, depending on the situation. We proposed a model comprising the three derived themes using social cognitive theory. We discussed how these three types of support influenced pregnant women’s self-efficacy, which is the core concept of the social cognitive theory. Our findings may help to plan theory-based research and effective interventions to provide support for women’s anxiety during pregnancy using a population approach. Our results also demonstrated the importance of collaboration with pregnant women in developing further research and interventions.