Quality of Life of Pregnant Women With Medical Disorders in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Background Pregnant women's psychological and physical states may be greatly impacted by pregnancy-related changes, especially those with medical disorders. This study aimed to determine the quality of life (QoL) of pregnant women with medical disorder(s), associated factors, and the most affected domain. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted among 337 antenatal attendees with at least one medical disorder in a tertiary hospital using a self-administered questionnaire. The World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version standardized questionnaire was used to assess the QoL of pregnant women across various domains. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Univariate and bivariate analyses were used to examine the differences in QoL scores across various domains and maternal variables with the level of statistical significance set at p-values <0.05. Results The mean age of the participants was 32.43 (±4.74) years and the mean overall QoL score was 85.04 ± 9.61 with high health satisfaction at 84.10 ± 10.74. The psychological domain was most affected with a QoL of 62.78 ± 9.26. Hypertensive disorders were most prevalent 77 (23.0%). Those who had a single medical disorder had a better QoL compared to those with multiple medical disorders, 85.15 ± 9.67 vs. 84.06 ± 9.11, respectively. Educational status (p = 0.04) and occupation (p < 0.01) were significantly associated with overall QoL. Gestational age was associated with the women's QoL in the physical health domain (p = 0.01). Conclusions The QoL of pregnant women with medical disorder(s) was good; however, there is a need to improve their socioeconomic and psychological support. Educating a girl child might improve her QoL during pregnancy.