ABSTRACT
Pregnancy imposes a great deal of physiological, psychological, and emotional stress on
women. Its outcome is often uncertain; thus, a pregnant woman requires a lot of support from
people around her, especially her husband. The study assessed the importance and factors
associated of spousal support during pregnancy from the perspectives of women attending
Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi. A hospital based cross-sectional
descriptive study was adopted for this study. The study was conducted among 210 pregnant
women attending the antenatal clinic of a tertiary institution in Nigeria Data was collected using
a structured questionnaire adapted from similar research. The data analysis was done using
Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 25. In the study, the majority of
respondents (35.7%) were aged 24-28 years, with an average age of 28.07 years. Most of the
respondents (91.4%) were married, 51% had tertiary education, and 52.4% were employed.
Gravidity data showed that 46.2% of the respondents had 2-4 pregnancies, and 53.3% of
respondents were in their third trimester. Regarding support during pregnancy, 66.2% of
respondents rated it as very good; while 98.1% received financial support, 87.6% received
emotional support, 65.7% received physical support, and 59.5% received informational
support. More than half of the respondents (58.1%) considered spousal support very important.
Factors such as younger age, marital status (being married), higher spousal income, and
significant spousal contributions were significant predictors of good spousal support.
The findings revealed a generally positive perception of spousal support, with financial support
being the most prevalent form of assistance. Emotional, physical, and informational support
were also significant, highlighting the multifaceted nature of spousal support during pregnancy.
The study highlights the importance of spousal support in enhancing maternal health outcomes.
Effective spousal support can reduce stress, improve emotional well-being, and ensure better
access to healthcare services, ultimately leading to positive pregnancy outcomes.
Keywords: Antenatal clinic, pregnancy, pregnant women, spousal support.
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