Anxiety and Depression among Pregnant Women in the Gaza Strip. Pregnancy has been defined as a period of well-being that has allowed women to feel biologically complete, supported their emotional well-being, caused enjoyment and fulfillment, and at the same time led to a moment of stress and related changes.
This study may pave the path for further research in the same field and highlight the urgent need to establish psychological programs in clinics for the affected women. Also, the present study may contribute towards the knowledge of mental health in Palestine, and help provided guidelines for
other researchers to conduct further studies in field.
Moreover, our results reported a lower rate of depression relative to a cross-sectional study at the Hanover Park Midwife Obstetric Unit (MOU), in Cape Town, South Africa. Furthermore, the results of our study were consistent with the findings of the study reporting the prevalence of anxiety and depression during pregnancy among in Tuanku Bainun Hospital, Ipoh, Malaysia.17 Our findings indicated lesser anxiety levels in a study of 660 English-speaking pregnant women in the City
of Vancouver, Canada.18 Other studies indicated higher rates of incidence of depressive episodes
This study presented a strong evidence that pregnant Palestinian women, like other women in different regions, experienced depression and anxiety which must draw the attention of service
providers to related problems to help find solutions. This study found that women living in refugee camps, and having more than 8 children were at an increasing risk of developing depression and anxiety.
Psychol Cogn Sci Open J. 2017; 3(4): 137-144. doi: 10.17140/PCSOJ-3-136
