Work Environment during Pregnancy and Maternal Health Status: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective(s): To determine the effects of the work environment on maternal health during pregnancy and to investigate the relationships among physical and psychosocial occupational factors, work-related risk exposures, and maternal health.

Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted from 18 December 2025 to 18 June 2026 among 150 pregnant employees in Baghdad-Rusafa. Data were collected using a socio-demographic form, the PROMIS-29 Profile v2.1, the Workplace Exclusion Scale, and a Pregnancy Risk Assessment Form. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used, including frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, chi-square tests, and ANOVA.

Results: Psychosocial work environment factors showed significant associations between anxiety and fatigue, sleep, physical function, and pain intensity; between depression and fatigue, physical function, and pain intensity; and between workplace exclusion and fatigue, physical risk factors, and psychological and social risks. Maternal age, parity, gestational age, daily working hours, years of service, employment status, and family income were significantly associated with maternal health (p < 0.05). High exposure to biological hazards, especially toxoplasmosis (71.3%) and rubella risk (72.0%), was observed.

Recommendations: Maternal health during pregnancy is affected by a multidimensional interaction between physical workplace exposures, psychosocial conditions, and occupational risk factors. Pain was the health outcome most directly related to physical work environment factors, while anxiety, fatigue, sleep disorder, and impaired social participation were strongly interconnected.