Self-Confidence, Quality of Life, and Security Predict Pregnancy Worries in First-Time Mothers

For women pregnant with their first child, worry can be a constant companion. A new descriptive-correlational study, published as an open-access article in Discover Psychology on 26 October 2026, reports that three psychological and quality-of-life factors together account for a substantial share of the variation in pregnancy concerns among nulliparous women. The research team, led by Khadijeh Hatamipour with colleagues including Ali Khanehkeshi, Fatemeh Mohammadkhah, and Maryam Tavana, set out to quantify how strongly self-confidence, quality of life, and psychological security predict pregnancy-related worries in women experiencing pregnancy for the first time.

The study population consisted of nulliparous mothers attending health centers in western Mazandaran, Iran, during spring 2025. From this population, 160 women were recruited using a convenience sampling method, a non-random approach that limits how broadly the findings can be generalized. Each participant completed standard self-report questionnaires measuring self-confidence, quality of life, psychological security, and pregnancy concerns. The researchers analyzed the data in SPSS-26, applying Pearson correlation coefficients to examine bivariate relationships and a simultaneous multiple regression model to assess the combined predictive power of the three variables, with statistical significance set at P < 0.05.

The correlational results were consistent across all three predictors. Self-confidence showed a negative and significant relationship with pregnancy concerns (r = -0.523), as did quality of life (r = -0.541) and psychological security (r = -0.369), all at P < 0.001. In practical terms, women who reported higher self-confidence, better quality of life, or a stronger sense of psychological security tended to report fewer pregnancy concerns, while those lower on these measures reported more.

The regression analysis strengthened the picture. Together, the three variables significantly predicted 45.6% of the variance in pregnancy concerns (R² = 0.456, F(3,156) = 43.639, P < 0.001). Quality of life emerged as the strongest individual predictor (β = -0.493), followed closely by self-confidence (β = -0.481), with psychological security contributing a smaller standardized coefficient as reported by the authors (β = 0.167). The authors note that the negative correlations and the overall model indicate that these psychological resources move in the opposite direction to pregnancy worries in this sample.

The authors frame these findings as a basis for intervention rather than a clinical prescription. They suggest that family counselors and therapists could design and implement programs aimed at increasing self-confidence, quality of life, and psychological security in order to reduce pregnancy concerns among nulliparous women. Because the study is cross-sectional and correlational, it identifies associations and predictive relationships within the sampled group; it does not establish that raising these factors would causally lower pregnancy concerns, and the convenience sampling further constrains generalizability beyond the participating health centers.

Within those limits, the study adds quantitative weight to an idea long held in maternal mental health practice: that a first pregnancy is a significant life transition accompanied by distinct physical and psychological concerns, and that the psychological resources a woman brings to that transition are measurable and meaningfully linked to how much she worries. The authors also emphasize that the extent to which self-confidence, quality of life, and psychological security predict pregnancy concerns had remained insufficiently understood, which motivated the present analysis. The article is being shared early to provide faster access to peer-reviewed, accepted research; it is citable and carries a permanent DOI, with a final Version of Record to replace the current version after further edits.

Subject of Research: Psychological predictors of pregnancy concerns in nulliparous women

Article Title: Predicting pregnancy concerns based on self-confidence, quality of life, and psychological security in nulliparous women

Article References: Hatamipour, K., Khanehkeshi, A., Mohammadkhah, F., & Tavana, M. (2026). Predicting pregnancy concerns based on self-confidence, quality of life, and psychological security in nulliparous women. Discover Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-026-00963-6

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s44202-026-00963-6

Keywords: pregnancy concerns, nulliparous women, self-confidence, quality of life, psychological security, descriptive-correlational study, multiple regression, maternal mental health, Mazandaran, Discover Psychology, Predicting, pregnancy