The relationships among perceived stress, locus of control and coping during the third trimester of pregnancy

Stress is a contributor to obstetrical complications and is related to poor perinatal outcome. Identification of effective coping strategies is vital for the reduction of or alleviation of stress in the promotion of self-care. The individual's sense of control is also related to his or her ability to adapt to stressful situations. The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed among perceived stress, locus of control, and coping in the third trimester of pregnancy.

A convenience sample of thirty pregnant subjects with gestational ages ranging from 28 to 40 weeks was obtained from the Upper Cumberland area of Middle Tennessee. All of the subjects were white with an age range of 18 to 35 years.

The instruments utilized in the data collection were Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale, the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, the Jalowiec Coping Scale, and a Demographic Survey. Pearson r correlations were utilized to examine the relationships between the variables.

A significant relationship was found between perceived stress and all three subscales of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale and between perceived stress and affective-oriented coping strategies. Recommendations for nursing practice and future research were offered.