Age Matters: How Maternal Age Relates to Anxiety Levels in Pregnant Women Facing Childbirth
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37287/ijghr.v8i6.2664Keywords:
anxiety, childbirth, maternal age, pregnancyAbstract
Pregnancy requires continuous psychological adaptation, and maternal age may shape how women perceive reproductive risk and childbirth. This study examined the association between maternal age and anxiety levels among pregnant women facing childbirth in the Membalong Community Health Center working area. An analytic cross-sectional study was conducted in July 2026 using total sampling of 90 pregnant women from all trimesters. Maternal age was categorized as non-risk (20-35 years) and risk age (<20 or >35 years). Anxiety was assessed using the 14-item Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS/HAM-A); the Indonesian version has demonstrated construct-validity coefficients of 0.529-0.727 and acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.756). Data were summarized descriptively and analyzed with the Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact test. Most respondents were aged 20-35 years (77.8%) and had no anxiety (63.3%). Mild-to-severe anxiety occurred in 65.0% of women in the risk-age group compared with 28.6% in the non-risk group. Maternal age was significantly associated with anxiety level (p = 0.014). Maternal age can support early identification of psychological vulnerability, but anxiety screening should remain available to all pregnant women because symptoms were also present in the non-risk age group.
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