Authors
Maha Dardouri, Nader Alnomasy, Bushra Alshammari, Shaima Mohammed Nageeb, Sonia Rouatbi, Radhia Chaieb, Imen Ayouni
Published in
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland). Volume 14. Issue 13. Jul 02, 2026. Epub Jul 02, 2026.
Abstract
Background: Coping styles and general self-efficacy (GSE) are central to managing pregnancy challenges, yet evidence from lower-middle-income countries remains limited. This study aimed to identify coping styles during pregnancy and to assess their associations with GSE, social determinants, and pregnancy-related factors. Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women aged 18-45 years attending antenatal clinics in Sousse, Tunisia, between July 2024 and March 2025. A multistage random sampling strategy recruited participants. Data was collected using validated Arabic versions of the Brief COPE Inventory and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES). Results: Among 417 respondents, emotion-focused coping was the most frequently used coping strategy (mean = 31.83 ± 6.85). Mean GSE was 28.15 ± 6.01, with 12.2% reporting low GSE. There is a significant difference between GSE and problem-focused and emotion-focused coping styles (p = 0.011; p = 0.019, respectively). Unemployment was negatively associated with problem-focused coping (p = 0.012), while rural residence and divorce were negatively associated with emotion-focused coping (p = 0.037; p = 0.004, respectively). Avoidant coping style was determined by unemployment and multiparity (p =0.043; p = 0.049, respectively). Conclusions: These findings highlighted the need for comprehensive perinatal care strategies that incorporate psychosocial factors and address contextual vulnerabilities, particularly among rural, unemployed, and divorced pregnant women.
PMID:
42450987
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Jul 2026.
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