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Emotion and Self-confidence as Predictors of Risk Perception in Parturient Women before and after COVID-19: A Path analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected maternal mental health, yet its impact on the psychological mechanisms underlying risk perception in parturient women remains underexplored. While emotion and self-confidence are known to influence health behaviors, their combined effects on risk perception—particularly in the context of a global public health crisis—have not been systematically examined.
Objective:
The COVID-19 pandemic may have altered emotional states and risk perception in pregnant women. This study aimed to examine whether emotion and self-confidence influenced overall risk perception in parturient women before and after the pandemic.
Methods:
Of 200 invited maternity in-patients, 189 provided valid data (94.5% response rate; 106 pre-pandemic, 83 post-pandemic). Participants completed three validated scales: PANAS (short form for positive/negative affect), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (self-confidence), and Slovic's General Risk Perception Battery (30 hazard items). Data were analyzed with SPSS 26.0 for descriptive statistics and regression, and Mplus 8.3 for path analysis to test self-confidence mediation.
Results:
Post-pandemic women exhibited higher positive affect, lower negative affect, greater self-confidence, and elevated risk perception (all p < 0.01). Path analysis confirmed self-confidence as a partial mediator: positive affect increased self-confidence (β = 0.28, p < 0.001), negative affect decreased it (β = -0.389, p < 0.001), and self-confidence modestly increased risk perception (β = 0.15, p = 0.05). However, none of these psychological variables significantly predicted neonatal outcomes (birth weight and Apgar scores).
Conclusions:
The COVID-19 pandemic paradoxically enhanced parturient women's emotional well-being and self-confidence, which in turn shaped their risk perception. These findings highlight the critical importance of psychological support during pregnancy amid public health crises and suggest that adaptive risk sensitivity may promote safer postpartum behaviors without increasing anxiety. Clinical Trial: Not applicable
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