Career Decisions During Pregnancy: A Study on Occupational Self-Efficacy and Mental Health in Pregnant Women Active in the Workforce

• Grant number: 24/10176-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Fundamentals and Assessments in Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Rodolfo Augusto Matteo Ambiel
• Grantee: Manuela Baldin Siqueira
• Host Institution: Escola de Ciências da Vida (ECV). Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas (PUC-CAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The entry of women into the labor market is a remarkable achievement of recent decades, contributing to gender equity and expanding career perspectives. For women, the decision to start a family while already engaged in the workforce becomes a multifaceted journey. Among its characteristics, professional decision-making is the most prominent, corroborating with stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression that affect personal and professional life. In this context, this project aims to understand and analyze the relationships between career decision-making difficulties, occupational self-efficacy, and mental health in pregnant women active in the workforce. The expected sample consists of 200 pregnant women from various regions of the country and different stages of pregnancy. Data collection will be conducted online, encompassing three instruments with evidence of validity in Brazilian samples: the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale, the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Occupational Self-Efficacy Scale. The data analysis plan includes descriptive statistics and correlations. It is expected that the complexity of this interaction between the changes during pregnancy and the pressures of professional choice will be explored, providing crucial insights into the role of career in the health and psychological well-being of pregnant working women.