Original scientific paper
Stress and Anxiety in Relation to Amniocentesis: Do Women Who Perceive Their Partners To Be More Involved in Pregnancy Feel Less Stressed and Anxious?
Bojana Brajenović-Milić
orcid.org/0000-0002-9440-9346
; Department of Biology and meical Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Croatia
Tamara Martinac Dorčić
orcid.org/0000-0002-3844-8500
; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Rijeka, Croatia
Karin Kuljanić
; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Rijeka, Croatia
Oleg Petrović
; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Rijeka, Croatia
Abstract
Aim To assess whether imminent amniocentesis is associated
with the perception of increased stress and state
anxiety in women and their partners and whether greater
partner’s involvement during pregnancy alleviates women’s
stress and anxiety.
Methods Two hundred twenty women awaiting amniocentesis
and 90 male partners participated in the study.
The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale,
and Partner’s Involvement in Pregnancy Scale were administered.
Statistical analysis was performed using t test, one
way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation test.
Results Imminent amniocentesis caused increased stress
(17.6 ± 6.8; t = 7.32, P < 0.001) and anxiety (42.0 ± 11.9;
t = 8.51, P < 0.001) in pregnant women, but not their
partners (stress: 14.3 ± 6.1; t = 0.17, P = 0.862; anxiety:
36.4 ± 10.40; t = 0.66, P = 0.510). Stress was even more pronounced
in women who experienced another stressor, like
unplanned pregnancy, prenatal-related nausea and vomiting,
or chromosomal aberration in a previous pregnancy.
Significant negative correlation was found for women’s
stress and their perception of their partner’s involvement
during pregnancy (r = -0.23; P = 0.001); the same was not
found for women’s anxiety.
Conclusion Greater partner’s involvement during pregnancy
could diminish women’s stress, but elevated state
anxiety just before amniocentesis could not be alleviated
in the same way. Thus, health care professionals must pay
greater attention to the psychological status of women
undergoing amniocentesis to help them better cope with
the situation.
Keywords
Amniocentesis; Stress, psychological; Anxiety; Partner’s involvement during pregnancy
Hrčak ID:
53516
URI
Publication date:
15.4.2010.
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