Background: Anxiety and depression in pregnancy are important in public health care and could impact obstetrics outcomes especially in high risk pregnancies. Data about anxiety and depression is limited. The aim of this investigation was to study anxiety and depression in high and low risk pregnancuies in Thammasat University Hospital, Thailand.

Material and Methods: This study was conducted in the Maternal Fetal Medicine and Antenatal Care Clinics at Thammasat University Hospital between July 2019 and August 2019.  The study was conducted as a cross sectional study. Two hundred Thai pregnant women were recruited. The pregnant women were categorized into high and low risk criteria in equal numbers and were divided into a study and control group. The Thai Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to evaluate for anxiety and depression in all participants. Cross-sectional multivariable linear regression analysis was then conducted.

Results: Total of 200 women who met criteria for the study were recruited. They were divided into high and low risk groups. There were significant differences in gestational age, education, parity and prenatal invasive diagnostic procedures. Participants in the study group had more anxiety and depression score than the control group (HADS-A 7.88/5.77 and HADS-D 5.77/4.20, respectively). Among high risk participants, prenatal invasive procedures and twin pregnancies were influential factors in anxiety but not depression.

Conclusion: High risk pregnancies were associated with more anxiety and depression than low risk pregnancies. A significant factor among high risk pregnant women were required invasive prenatal procedures and twin pregnancies which correlated with anxiety but not depression.

Key word: High risk pregnancy, Anxiety, Depression