Associations between childbirth information sources and antenatal anxiety

Background

Antenatal anxiety affects about one in four women in the third trimester and occurs within a broader context of rising maternal mental health burden globally. At the same time, different sources of health information are used, but trust varies: healthcare professionals remain the most trusted (around 82% globally), yet up to 92% of women rely on the internet for health information. The relationship between different sources of information and antenatal anxiety remains unclear; we examined whether reliance on different childbirth information sources was associated with antenatal anxiety.

Methods

A cross-sectional study included 402 pregnant women attending third-trimester screening at a Community Health Center in Belgrade, Serbia; 356 with complete data were analyzed (mean age 31.4). Antenatal anxiety was assessed using the Stirling Antenatal Anxiety Scale (SAAS) and categorized using established cut-offs (≥8, ≥12). Participants reported use of different childbirth information sources. Associations were analyzed using chi-square tests and expressed as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals(CI).

Results

Elevated antenatal anxiety (SAAS≥8) was observed in 39.6% of participants. Use of social media (OR = 2.1, 95% CI 1.3–3.4; p = 0.001) and internet sources (OR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.4–3.4; p = 0.001) was associated with higher odds of antenatal anxiety, whereas information from healthcare professionals was not (OR = 0.82, 95% CI 0.53–1.3; p = 0.38). Findings were consistent using the higher SAAS cut-off (≥12).

Conclusions

Reliance on digital childbirth information was associated with higher antenatal anxiety, whereas information from healthcare professionals was not. Despite high levels of trust in clinicians, these findings suggest that trust alone may not be sufficient to offset the impact of digital information exposure. Prenatal care should include clinician guidance toward reliable online resources and support for interpreting anxiety-provoking digital content.

Key messages

• Use of social media and internet sources for childbirth information was associated with higher antenatal anxiety.

• Routine prenatal care should include clinician guidance toward reliable online childbirth information and digital health literacy support.