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Abstract
This study explores the consequences of the psychological stress of pregnant women on the health of their fetuses. Pregnancy is a critical period when the psychological and physical well-being of the mother and fetus is to be addressed. The objective of this research is to examine the effect of psychological stress of mothers on the health of their fetuses. It also seeks to examine the effect of social and environmental stress on mothers, their fetuses and their offspring. The research also explores the effect of psychological stress of mothers on the health of their offspring. It focuses on pregnancy and the first two years of life of children. The sample consisted of 118 pregnant women, 66.9% of whom were living in urban areas and 33.1% in rural areas. The age group 20-29 years was 55.9% of the sample and pregnant mothers were 36.4% of the sample. The results of the study indicate that 76.3% of the pregnant mothers have some level of psychological stress and this was attributed mainly to the changes in the level of hormones (44.9%) and worrying about the health of the fetus (33.9%). A total of 61% of the mothers of the sample indicated negative consequences on the health of the fetus. These included reduced fetal movement, having small and/or preterm babies, and babies with low birth weight. The result also showed that 47.5% of the mothers of the sample indicated that their children had behavioral and emotional problems and that these problems were probably caused by maternal psychological stress during pregnancy. These mothers received psychosocial support from their husbands and family members. These results emphasize the important role that psychosocial support plays in the prevention of psychological stress of pregnant women and the improvement of mental health of mothers and the development of children.