Elena Otilia Vladislav

Background and Objectives: High-risk pregnancy increases vulnerability to psychological distress, but protective mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study compared emotional distress and coping strategies between women with high- and low-risk pregnancies and investigated whether active coping and marital satisfaction moderated associations between negative pregnancy experiences, prenatal depression and perceived stress. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 195 pregnant women aged 18–51 years (M = 31.76, SD = 5.32), including 102 women with high-risk pregnancies and 93 women with low-risk pregnancies. Participants completed the EPDS, STAI, PSS-10, PRAS, PES, COPE, and CSI. Independent-samples t tests, correlation analyses, and moderation analyses were conducted. Results: Women with high-risk pregnancies reported significantly higher levels of prenatal depression (p = 0.032) and pregnancy-related anxiety (p < 0.001) than women with low-risk pregnancies. They also reported lower socio-emotional support (p = 0.036) and mental disengagement coping (p = 0.022). Negative pregnancy experiences were positively associated with state anxiety, pregnancy-related anxiety, prenatal depression, and perceived stress after controlling for pregnancy risk status (all p < 0.001). Maladaptive coping was generally associated with higher emotional distress, whereas adaptive coping, particularly positive reinterpretation and planning, was associated with lower levels of prenatal depression and anxiety. Active coping moderated the association between negative pregnancy experiences and perceived stress (β = −0.16, p = 0.016). Marital satisfaction moderated the association between prenatal depression and perceived stress among women with high-risk pregnancies (β = −0.21, p = 0.016). Conclusions: Active coping and marital satisfaction were associated with lower psychological distress and may represent potentially modifiable psychological resources for women experiencing high-risk pregnancies. Although the cross-sectional design precludes causal inferences, these findings highlight the potential value of integrating psychological screening, coping-focused interventions, and partner involvement into prenatal care, particularly for women with high-risk pregnancies.

Background and Objectives: High-risk pregnancy is associated with increased vulnerability to psychological distress, yet the protective mechanisms that may buffer this vulnerability remain insufficiently understood. This study examined differences in emotional distress and coping strategies between women with high-risk and low-risk pregnancies and investigated whether active coping and marital satisfaction attenuate associations between negative pregnancy experiences, prenatal depression and perceived stress. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 195 pregnant women aged 18–51 years (M = 31.76, SD = 5.32), including 102 women with high-risk pregnancies and 93 women with low-risk pregnancies. Participants completed measures of prenatal depression (EPDS), state anxiety (STAI), perceived stress (PSS-10), pregnancy-related anxiety (PRAS), pregnancy experiences (PES), coping strategies (COPE), and marital satisfaction (CSI). Independent-samples t tests, correlation analyses, partial correlations and moderation analyses were conducted. Results: Women with high-risk pregnancies reported significantly higher levels of prenatal depression (p = 0.032) and pregnancy-related anxiety (p < 0.001) than women with low-risk pregnancies. They also reported lower use of socio-emotional support (p = 0.036) and mental disengagement coping strategies (p = 0.022). Negative pregnancy experiences were positively associated with state anxiety, pregnancy-related anxiety, prenatal depression, and perceived stress after controlling for pregnancy risk status (all p < 0.001). Maladaptive coping strategies were generally associated with higher emotional distress, whereas adaptive coping strategies, particularly positive reinterpretation and planning, were associated with lower levels of prenatal depression and anxiety. Active coping moderated the association between negative pregnancy experiences and perceived stress (β = −0.16, p = 0.016). Marital satisfaction moderated the association between prenatal depression and perceived stress among women with high-risk pregnancies (β = −0.21, p = 0.016). Conclusions: Active coping and marital satisfaction emerged as modifiable protective factors that may attenuate psychological distress during pregnancy. These findings support the integration of psychological screening, coping-focused interventions, and partner involvement into prenatal care, particularly for women experiencing high-risk pregnancies.

Introduction: This research explored how crises such as the pandemic influence the family dynamic and the way that the parents and the children face new difficulties and challenges. The present study investigates children’s and young people’s emotional states, the dimensions of family resilience, and the types of coping strategies and parents’ emotional states during the coronavirus pandemic. The final sample for the research was represented by 1,010 parents from Romania.Methods: The present scientific research is a transversal study with the scope to understand the emotional difficulties that parents and children/ young people face and the coping strategies that they adopt in a crisis, such as the time of the coronavirus pandemic.Results: Parents with maladaptive coping strategies are more affected by the pandemic. Also, the results indicate that there is a significant correlation between parental coping strategies and the children’s emotional states, and the adaptability level. Therefore, the high scores on the subscales which measure maladaptive coping indicate high scores of the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress of the parents. Family resilience, through the dimension of ‘communication and problem-solving in the family’ has a moderation role in the relationship between parental depression and the maladaptive coping strategy of rumination. Family resilience through ‘maintaining a positive attitude’ has a moderation role in the relationship between catastrophizing and the teenagers’ level of adaptability.Discussion: The results of the study pointed out the role and place of family resilience within the family system and how a period of crisis can affect this system.