Abstract

Maternal stress during pregnancy has been related to adverse short- and long-term maternal and perinatal outcomes. The study is aimed at investigating perceived stress and hyperarousal, a psychophysiological index of stress responsiveness, in a sample of women with uncomplicated and complicated pregnancy.  Participants in the study were recruited on a voluntary basis from family counselling centers, obstetrician/gynaecologists offices and outpatients’ units and asked to fill an online survey Google® form ensuring anonymity and including a questionnaire for socio-demographic and clinical variables, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Hyperarousal Rating Scale. 326 pregnant women, aged between 18-45 years, were included in the study; 214 subjects were classified as Uncomplicated pregnancy, and 112 as Complicated pregnancy. The Uncomplicated pregnancy group reported higher levels of perceived stress (p = .003), and the Complicated pregnancy women scored significantly higher at the Reactivity dimension of Hyperarousal scale (p = .022); Reactivity predicted perceived stress (β = 3.144; p = .004) in the Complicated pregnancy group, as indicated by a linear regression analysis. Stress during pregnancy is frequently a response to the occurrence of gestational complications; in such cases, hyperarousal can be suitable for predicting perceived stress levels. Findings also suggests that a percentage of women with uncomplicated pregnancies may also be at risk for experiencing elevated stress levels. The assessment of vulnerability and predictive factors of high perceived stress should be included in a multidimensional evaluation of maternal health during pregnancy.

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Maria Rosaria Anna Muscatello - Psychiatry Unit, University Hospital of Messina, Italy; Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Italy

Maria Catena Silvestri - Psychiatry Unit, University Hospital of Messina, Italy

Fabrizio Turiaco - Psychiatry Unit, University Hospital of Messina, Italy; Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Italy

Fiammetta Iannuzzo - Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Italy

Giovanni Genovese - Psychiatry Unit, University Hospital of Messina, Italy

Clara Lombardo - Department “Scienze della Salute”, University “Magna Graecia”, Catanzaro, Italy

Roberta Granese - Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Italy; Gynecology and Obstetrics Unit, University Hospital of Messina, Italy

Giulia Fangano - Psychiatry Unit, University Hospital of Messina, Italy; Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Italy

Antonio Bruno - Psychiatry Unit, University Hospital of Messina, Italy; Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Italy

Gianluca Pandolfo - Psychiatry Unit, University Hospital of Messina, Italy; Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Italy

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Copyright (c) 2025 Italian Journal of Psychiatry

How to Cite
Muscatello, M. R. A., Silvestri, M. C., Turiaco, F., Iannuzzo, F., Genovese, G., Lombardo, C., Granese, R., Fangano, G., Bruno, A., & Pandolfo, G. (2025). Perceived stress and hyperarousal in women with uncomplicated and complicated pregnancy: a cross-sectional, correlation study . Italian Journal of Psychiatry, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.36180/2421-4469-2025-586
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