Exploring Dietary Diversity, Psychological Stress, and Domestic Violence in Pregnant Women: A Socio-Demographic Analysis from Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Abstract

Pregnancy is one of the most vulnerable and significant stages a woman experiences in her lifetime. Yet, the simultaneous interplay of dietary diversity, stress, and violence in the Pakistani context remains poorly understood. Therefore, the current cross-sectional Rawalpindi-based survey study focused on differences in adequacy of dietary diversity, levels of stress, and prevalence of domestic violence concerning socio-economic status during pregnancy. The sample was selected through purposive sampling, and 381 participants attending different hospitals in Rawalpindi were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle attributes, obstetric history, the Diet Quality Questionnaire (DQQ), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Abuse Assessment Screen (AAS), and an economic abuse assessment. Associations were assessed using multiple regression, and relationships between key variables were examined with Pearson correlation. The results showed that 28.9% of women had inadequate minimum dietary diversity for women (MDD-W), 100% of the individual consumed grains, a moderate percentage of individuals used pulses, dairy products, and other vegetables, and low consumption of nutrient-dense food groups. The 71.9% had moderate, and 19.7% had high-stress levels, but 22% of individuals screened positive for AAS, whereas Economic abuse prevailed in 32% of the participants. Socio-economic status significantly (p ≤ 0.0002) affected MDD-W, AAS, and economic abuse. The Pearson correlation among MDD-W, PSS, AAS, and economic abuse was negligible. The study highlighted that lower socio-economic status is the most vulnerable factor to provoking stress, domestic violence, and inadequacy of MDD-W. The results help us to analyze the domains where interference is needed based on the intensity of vulnerability.