Science & Healthcare

Background: The course of pregnancy and emerging type of motherhood can be affected by family history of the expectant mother, as well as socio-cultural factors, such as position of women in society and social significance of motherhood.

The aim of the study is to create a socio-medical portrait of a pregnant woman from Semey and to determine the awareness of women about the available social and psychological services.

Methods: Design - A cross-sectional study. Random sample (n = 350 women). 354 pregnant women who are registered in Semey primary health care institutions have been examined. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 20.0.

Results: Medical and social portrait of pregnant women from Semey in this study is as follows, the prevalence of Kazakh women (73.2%), married (83.9%), those with higher education (65.5%), having a complete family (61.9%), homeowners (56.2%), without maternity leave (51.1%), nulliparous (50.3%), not having previous abortions (72.9%) who have planned their pregnancies (68 9%), not smoking (93.2%), with an income equal to or above the minimum subsistence level (83.1%)

Social workers increasingly serve the unmarried women who do not receive financial support for their families with a history of abortion and low level of income and education level of her husband.

Psychologists increasingly serve the unmarried women with unstable, low-paying jobs, including her husband (of an married woman), as well as the level of income below the subsistence minimum.

Less than half (46.4%) of the women surveyed were informed of the availability of social and psychological services in Semey. The presence of social workers and psychologists in primary health care institutions is known to 81.9% of pregnant women. 24.3% of pregnant women met with the social worker, 20.3% of pregnant women met with the psychologist.

Conclusion: The results can be used to develop recommendations for the medical and social support for pregnant women in primary care settings.