CONTEMPORARY JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY

Pregnancy is one of the most sensitive periods and stressful life experiences in the lives of most women despite the joy, happiness and pleasure it brings to most homes. However, pregnancy for most women produces a mixed feeling of happiness and a lot of emotional unsteadiness which could lead to anxiety. The study assessed the personality traits and anxiety of 385 pregnant women receiving antenatal care from Federal Medical Centre Makurdi and Benue State Teaching Hospital Makurdi, using a cross-sectional survey design and purposive sampling technique. Data was collected using the big five 44- item inventory developed by John et al.(1991) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory by Spielberger et al.(1983), and analyzed usingmultiple regression analysis.Result indicated that personality traits did not significantly influence anxiety,and all the dimensions of personality traits were not significant as well, except for extraversion which was confirmed. In conclusion, while some personality traits like extraversion may contribute to the experience of anxiety, their overall influence is limited within this population. It is recommended that future research explores other potential factors such as social support, economic conditions and previous mental history to better understand anxiety in pregnancy and all factors be considered while caring for pregnant women during antennal programs

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