IMPACT OF PERINATAL DISTRESS ON SOCIAL SUPPORT AND DYADIC COPING IN COUPLES

Abstract

The study investigates how perinatal distress (depression and anxiety) interact to influence maternal wellness during the perinatal period in couples using a cross-sectional correlational design. Purposive sampling was applied to select a sample of 100 couples (100 males and 100 females) from three hospitals. Three standardized scales in Urdu of Perinatal Distress Inventory (Shafiq, 2023), a Dyadic Coping Inventory (Shujja et al., 2020), and a Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Jibeen & Khalid, 2010) in the Urdu version were employed for gathering information. Participants were predominantly aged between 25-35 years, with an equal distribution of males and females. The results showed that no correlation exist between perinatal distress and dyadic coping. Also, perinatal distress did not predict dyadic coping means the level of distress during perinatal period was not related to changes dyadic coping strategies. Additionally, a weak negative correlation with social support was found, higher overall distress is linked to lower social support. Furthermore, perinatal distress negatively predicted social support in perinatal couples.