The study of predicting role of personality traits in the perception of labor pain

BACKGROUND

Labor pain is one of the most intense pains experienced by women. Different factors including physiological, psychological, socio-cultural, environmental, and personality-related factors are relevant to perception of childbirth pain. The negative experience of pain causes mental, psychological problems and influences the relationship between the mother and infant. Therefore, considering the importance of women's health, this study was conducted to examine the predicting role of personality traits on perception of labor pain among pregnant women in Kazeroun, Fars Province, Iran.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study is a correlational descriptive-analytical study. The data were collected using big five factors questionnaire about personality traits (neuroticism, openness experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion) and a researcher-made questionnaire on the perception of labor pain (containing items such as reaction to pain, pain intolerance, pain depth, and pain acceptance) from 220 parturient women who referred to Valiasr Hospital in Kazeroun. The data were analyzed using statistical methods including Pearson correlation coefficient, factor analysis, and multiple regression analysis. All analyses were carried out with SPSS.

RESULTS

The results of the study indicated that among the factors influencing the perception of labor pain, the reaction to pain was meaningfully predicted by the personality dimensions of neuroticism (β =0.26, P < 0.01) and openness experience (β =0.20, P < 0.05). Neuroticism (β =0.20, P < 0.05) and openness experience (β =0.20, P < 0.05) were the positive predicting factors and conscientiousness (β = -0.20, P < 0.05) was a negative predicting factor for labor pain intolerance. Agreeableness (β =0.31, P < 0.01), neuroticism (β =0.20, P < 0.01), and openness experience (β =0.18, P < 0.01) were the predictive factors for pain depth. Among all personality traits, neuroticism (β =0.19, P < 0.05) and openness experience (β =0.20, P < 0.05) were the positive predictive factors and conscientiousness (β = -0.24, P < 0.05) was the negative predictive factor for the total score of the perception of labor pain.

CONCLUSIONS

It is recognized that personality traits can have predictive roles in the perception of labor pain. As a result, using different methods in managing and reducing childbirth pain, along with good advice and suitable education in pregnancy based on personality traits of women can be helpful for mothers to have more pleasurable experience from childbirth.

Mothers' response to psychological birth trauma: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Psychologically traumatic events can affect anybody, but consequences of psychological birth trauma for the mother are very profound, extensive and unforgettable. Furthermore, the mother's response not only touches the mother, but also affects the child, the father and the society. The objective of this study was to explore the mothers' response to psychological birth trauma.

OBJECTIVES

Psychological birth trauma is a complex matter as the length of a women`s life and mother`s responds can be present through different psychological and physical ways. In this regard, the mothers suffer from its consequences, but they do not know what is going on? Mothers are getting worse every day by "the silent effects of the psychological phenomena".

MATERIALS & METHODS

This qualitative study was conducted on 23 mothers with psychological birth trauma experience, who were recruited from health centers of the capital and one of the metropolises of Iran. Their interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed by the content analysis method.

RESULTS

THREE THEMES WERE EXTRACTED FROM THE DATA: impact on health, changes in mother`s roles, and changes decision making ability. Several categories and sub-categories also emerged from the data (physical and psychological problems, bonding with the child, relationship with husband, social role, cesarean request and psychological inability to have another child).

CONCLUSIONS

By considering the mothers` responses to traumatic labor, which endangers the health of the child as well as that of the mother and impairs their familial and social relationships, midwives should notice the consequences of psychological birth trauma in order to plan supportive and timely interventions.

The effect of cognitive behavioural psycho-education on premenstrual syndrome and related symptoms

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a distressing group of symptoms related to menstrual cycle during reproductive age. Its substantial burden on daily function and quality of life, particularly on mental aspects, was to the impetus for this study with the aim of determining the effectiveness of a psycho-educational package on premenstrual syndrome and related symptoms. In a randomized clinical trial, 123 (17-19-year-old) adolescent girls with PMS were randomized to psycho-educational intervention (including 62 subjects) and control (including 61) groups. The participants completed a demographic questionnaire, premenstrual syndrome symptom daily record scale and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). A paired and two independent samples t-test and chi-squared test were used for analysing data using SPSS statistical package. At the end of the study there was statistically significant decrease in severity of total PMS in intervention compared with control group (P < 0.001). Also, a significant difference in somatization, anxiety and hostility was observed between two groups (P < 0.05). However, depression marginally decreased (P < 0.1) in intervention group, and interpersonal sensitivity was not statistically different between intervention and control groups. Intervention alleviated the severity of PMS and related somatization, anxiety and hostility, yet it could not change the severity of depression and interpersonal sensitivity.

Predictive value of plasma haematocrit level in early diagnosis of pre-eclampsia

While pre-eclampsia is the most common complication of pregnancy, a definitive screening test for early diagnosis is still elusive. In this study, haematocrit value was assessed as a screening test for pre-eclampsia in 660 women at 24-28 weeks of pregnancy attending a hospital in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. Mean haematocrit values were significantly higher in pre-eclamptic than non-pre-eclamptic women: 37.7% (SD 2.0%) and 35.9% (SD 1.7%) respectively. The receiver operating characteristics curve showed that the most appropriate cut-off point for the haematocrit test in this sample of women was 38%; at this value the sensitivity was 58.6% and specificity was 88.9%; positive and negative predictive values were 33.7% and 95.7% respectively. The haematocrit, done as a routine screening test for anaemia at 24-28 weeks of pregnancy, may also be useful as a screening test for early diagnosis of pre-eclampsia.