Antenatal care in general practice. 1: A questionnaire as a clinical tool for collection of information on psychosocial conditions.

In pregnancy the woman's emotional sensitivity and also her receptiveness of emotional support increase. Antenatal care that is exclusively focused on somatic conditions may lead to ignorance of pregnant women's psychosocial problems, thus missing a chance of intervention. A psychosocial questionnaire, used as a clinical tool in history taking during the first two antenatal consultations, is described and evaluated. The purpose of the questionnaire was to elucidate the pregnant woman's psychosocial assets as well as problems. The information collected by means of this questionnaire is compared with the information on psychosocial conditions collected by means of the traditional antenatal care form. Screening for psychosocial conditions in pregnant women may reveal information about important life aspects that are not detected in the antenatal care form.