IMPACT OF LOCUS OF CONTROL, TYPE OF HOSPITAL REGISTERED AND AGE AT FIRST MARRIAGE ON ANXIETY AMONG EXPECTANT MOTHERS IN OWERRI

Abstract

This study examined the impact of locus of control, type of hospital registered and age at first marriage on anxiety among expectant mothers in Owerri. Two hundred participants were selected from both government and private-owned hospitals through convenience sampling. Participants’ age ranged between 20–46 years, with a mean age of 24.24. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Internal-External Locus of Control Scale (Y - EICS) were administered to the participants for data collection. Three hypotheses were postulated and tested. A cross-sectional survey design was employed, and 3–way Analysis of Variance was used for data analysis. Results revealed that locus of control and type of hospital registered did not have significant influence on anxiety, while age at first marriage had significant influence on anxiety among expectant mothers, as expectant mothers who married at the peak of their age (23- 39) years were more anxious than those who married very early and very late. This study recommended that the administration of screening tools to identify women at risk of anxiety during pregnancy and the provision of early preventive measures to reduce pregnancy-specific anxiety should be a universal practice.