Global News Exposure and Perinatal Anxiety in Pregnant Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Authors

Süleyman Güngör, Mehmet Buğrahan Gürcan, Ayşe Rabia Kanbak
https://doi.org/10.18621/eurj.1285

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between global news exposure and perinatal anxiety levels among pregnant women.

Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study included 180 pregnant women. Data were collected via an online questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic characteristics, global news consumption habits, and the Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS). Correlations were assessed using Spearman analysis, and independent predictors were evaluated with multivariate linear regression.

Results: A total of 169 participants were included in the final analysis. The mean PASS score was 34.2±15.8. Significant positive correlations were found between anxiety levels and daily news checking frequency (r=0.172, P=0.025), fear of missing news (r=0.154, P=0.046), repetitive checking behavior (r=0.262, P<0.001), post-exposure tension (r=0.236, P=0.002), and perceived impact of negative news on pregnancy (r=0.343, P<0.001). In multivariate analysis, repetitive checking behavior and perceived negative impact remained independent predictors.

Conclusion: Global news exposure is significantly associated with perinatal anxiety. This relationship appears to be driven more by behavioral and cognitive responses to news rather than exposure duration.

Global News, Perinatal Anxiety, Media Exposure, Doomscrolling, Mental Health

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Güngör S, Gürcan MB, Kanbak AR. Global News Exposure and Perinatal Anxiety in Pregnant Women: A Cross-Sectional Study. Eur Res J. Published online May 16, 2026:1-8. doi:10.18621/eurj.1285

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