Emotional experiences during the three trimesters of pregnancy

Abstract

This study examined the emotional changes that occur during the trimesters of pregnancy. Two hundred eighty-two women were asked, one day after giving birth, to indicate at what frequency they had experienced various symptoms during each trimester of pregnancy and to fill out the Repression-Sensitization scale (Byrne, Barry, & Nelson, 1963). Results showed that while women's feelings during the first trimester are characterized by symptoms related to physiological changes (e.g., nausea, vomiting, dizziness), during the last trimester anxiety and emotional distress become the most significant symptoms. The level at which these symptoms were experienced was affected by the subject's socioeconomic level, number of previous births (primaparae or multiparae), and her personality type (repressor or sensitizer).