Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on issues relevant to clinical practice, which includes a critical examination of the current diagnostic practices and their limitations, a critical review of the current scales to measure pregnancy-related anxiety and their psychometric properties, and a critical examination of current psychological and psychosocial interventions for anxiety during pregnancy. It examines the core gaps in the current research on pregnancy-related anxiety. The book explains the distinctiveness of pregnancy-related anxiety from general anxiety and depression. It provides an examination of the theoretical and empirical grounded definition of the form of anxiety as well as an overview of some of the key issues of contention and areas of research.