TITLE:
Self-Medication in Pregnancy and Associated Psychopathological Symptoms of Antenatal Nigerian Women
AUTHORS:
Ebenezer Olutope Akinnawo, Ibukunoluwa Busayo Bello, Bede Chinonye Akpunne, Boluwatife Solomon Ajibola
KEYWORDS:
Self-Medication, Over-the-Counter Drugs, Psychopathological Symptoms, Pregnant Women, Nigeria
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.11 No.12,
December
29,
2020
ABSTRACT: The physical and psychological health challenges of Self-Medication (SM) for a pregnant woman and the unborn child spotlights it as an emergency. This unwraps a gap in epidemiological studies on SM and associated psychopathological symptoms among Nigerian pregnant women. This study examines the predictive influence of self-medication with Over The Counter (OTC) drugs on manifested psychopathological symptoms among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in State Specialist Hospital, Osogbo, Osun State, southwestern Nigeria. Purposively selected 277 pregnant women ( age = 29.33; SD = 4.77) participated in the study. The participants responded to the Substance Abuse Prevalence Inventory, Self-Medication Test (SMT), and Awaritefe Psychological Index (API). Findings reveal a low prevalence of psychoactive drug use (2.8%) and a high prevalence of (OTC) drug self-medication (31.4%) and psychopathological symptoms (34.7%). Self-medication with OTC drugs independently and significantly predicted severities of insomnia (β = .178, p = .001), intellect disorder (β = .244, p = .000), heat disorder (β = .109, p = .046), mood disorder (β = .188, p = .001), head region disorder (β = .162, p = .003), alimentary tract disorder (β = .118, p = .030), general somatic disorder (β = .244, p = .000), and general psychopathology (β = .229, p = .000). The study reports a high prevalence of psychopathological symptoms among the Nigerian sample and concludes that the SM of OTC drugs is a significant predictor of the severity of the symptoms of psychopathology among pregnant women.