Preliminary findings based on pilot study sample

Basic statistical tests were conducted on the pilot study population in order to get some more information on the sample and gauge women’s responses thus far on the variables being measured.

2.4.1. Sample characteristics

The vast majority of participants were white (75.7%) while various minority groups made up the rest of the sample (see Table 2.8). In terms of religion, 58.6% of the total sample was Christian while quite a large amount was of ‘no religion’ (36.2%). This is in line with national data that indicate a steady increase in the amount of adults who are living in the UK and reporting they have ‘no religion’, with numbers rising from 47% in 2001 to 59% in 2009 (Office for National Statistics, 2013). The sample was almost equally divided into women under the age of 35 (55.2%) and women aged 35 or over (49.8%), while the mean age for the total sample was 33.67 (minimum: 23; maximum: 45; SD: 4.940). This is slightly higher than the national average that was reported to be 30 years of age in 2013 (Office for National Statistics, 2013). However, looking back at previous years, there has been a steady increase in the mean age of women at childbirth rising from 27.9 in 1993, to 28.8 in 2003 and 29.3 in 2008, suggesting that the last reported figures from 2013 may have increased as well reaching more towards our own sample characteristics. What is more striking, however, is the division in age groups with national averages reporting that 78.99% of live births in 2013 were to women aged 20-34 and the remaining 21.01% to women aged 35 or over (Office for National Statistics, 2013). This is something worth keeping in mind when considering the more equal distribution in our sample.

The vast majority of women (94.8 %) in our sample were either married or living with their partner at the time of the survey which also contradicts the reported national average of 52.6%

of live births being to married couples. However, it must be noted that we included couples living together regardless of being married or not in this category and therefore this may justify the seemingly big difference between our and the national findings without necessarily representing a true difference. The majority of the sample (67.2%) had an annual household income of £35.001-150.000 and overall the participants were of a varied educational background (see Table 2.9) with 81.1% having a university degree of some level.

Table 2.8

Breakdown of participants’ ethnic origins

For the 84.5% of the sample this was a planned pregnancy. This is in line with reports from the NATSAL study (Mercer et al, 2013) whereby 1 in 6 pregnancies in Britain are unplanned, translating into 84% being planned. Out of the total sample, the 15% reported having difficulties in getting pregnant with the 3.4% having had to be assisted by IVF in order to conceive. The 25.9% of the sample had had a previous miscarriage whereas the 20.7% reported having had a termination of pregnancy in the past. Finally, only 3.4% of the participants reported having had an invasive test in the past and 32.8% reported that they knew of someone close to them having undergone such a procedure.

Table 2.9

Participants’ level of education

2.4.2. Preliminary findings for the variables being studied

In an attempt to get a first impression on how women scored in the variables that were retained following the Principal Component Analysis, descriptive statistics were conducted appropriately.

The total sample consisted of participants that showed varying degrees of anxiety levels according to the HADS-anxiety scale measurements (see Table 2.10). It is important to note that almost half of the sample (48.3%) reported quite elevated anxiety levels indicating that they

anxiety in approximately 1 in 2 women, and this being the case during the first and third trimester as opposed to the second trimester which seems to be less stressful (Lee, Lam, Lau, Chong, & Fong, 2007).

Table 2.10

Assessment of anxiety levels based on the HADS scale

In terms of attitudes towards doctors and medicine, the findings were contradictory. Participants demonstrated a slightly more negative attitude towards doctors but appeared to be more positively inclined towards medicine (see Table 2.11). While this was not further explored, it may be due to women’s past experiences with doctors or even simply down to associating their doctors with the communication of potentially painful information and thus creating a negative feeling. On the other hand, medicine and any relevant medical test may be viewed as a useful source of information / intervention thus creating a more positive attitude.

Table 2.11

Scores for attitudes towards doctors and medicine scales

According to the Health Locus of Control Scale, 70.7% of the total sample indicated a greater internal locus of control, with 13.8% scoring high on the chance locus of control, and 8.6%

scoring high on the powerful others dimension. This is an encouraging finding as it is thought that those who believe they have some degree of control are more likely to take responsibility for their actions and make more informed choices.

Likewise, 91.4% of the sample demonstrated high levels of perceived behavioural control which again leads to the assumption that they feel they are in a position to take control of their and their baby’s health and any decisions related to it.

With regards to attitudes towards chromosomal abnormalities the majority of the sample (58.6%) reported these to be negative compared to the 39.7% that reported a more positive attitude towards chromosomal abnormalities.

Finally, 69% of participants scored high on the perceived benefits of amniocentesis / CVS scale, indicating a potentially strong factor that would influence them towards having the test.