Spiritual Health and Physical Activity Among Iranian Pregnant Women

Evaluation of Midwives' Perceptions of Spirituality and Spiritual Care in Aydın, Turkey

Spirituality is an integral part of holistic care, but studies have revealed that the spiritual dimension of care is largely neglected in healthcare settings. This study evaluated midwives' perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care. The study is a cross-sectional design and was conducted from April 1 to June 30, 2018 in Aydın, Turkey. The research sample of the study contacted 101 midwives. The Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale were used to collect data. It was found that the midwives' perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care were affected by age, having children, family type, and working unit (p < 0.05).

Investigation of the Relationship Between Religious Attitude and Postpartum Physical and Perineal Pain in Iran

Postpartum pain is one of the most important and common problems of postpartum mothers who resort to non-pharmacological strategies to relieve it due to the side effects of painkillers. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between religiosity and postpartum physical and perineal pain. The sample size in this cross-sectional study was 101 women giving birth in educational and medical centers of Shiraz, Iran, that was selected by purposive-convenience sampling. Then, a questionnaire was completed for each of them including demographic characteristics, religious attitude, and visual scale of postpartum pain. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. The frequency of the majority of the research population was found at moderate religious attitudes 65.4% (72 individuals). There is a positive and Statistical inverse correlation between religious attitude and perineal pain. According to Fisher's test, in mothers with a high religious attitude, 9.7% had severe perineal pain, 41.9% had moderate pain, and 48.4% had mild pain (p = 0.001). Besides, in the case of physical pain, 3.2%, 35.5%, and 61.3% had severe, moderate, and mild pain, respectively. Regarding physical pains, with the increase in the level of mothers' religious attitude, physical pains also decreased, but the statistical relationship was not significant (p = 0.32). The results showed that the religiosity and spirituality of pregnant women have relieving effects on postpartum pain. Therefore, more attention to the spiritual dimension of human existence and planning to improve it using prayer therapy, dhikr, and meditation is suggested as a strategy to deal with the fear of pain and childbirth and reduce psychological and physical changes before and after childbirth. These findings apply to women with ectopic pregnancies in Iran.

Relationship Between the Psychological Distress and Spiritual Well-Being in Pregnant Women Exposed to Domestic Violence: A Cross-Sectional Study in Iran

Maternal psychological distress is often associated with domestic violence. Spiritual well-being can affect the psychological capacity to deal with distress. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between psychological distress and spiritual well-being in pregnant women exposed to domestic violence. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 305 pregnant women subjected to domestic violence in southern Iran. The participants were selected using the census method. Data were collected using the Spiritual Well-being Scale (SWB), the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), and the Hurt, Insult, Threaten, Scream (HITS) screening tool (short form) and were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics (t-test, ANOVA, the Spearman correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression) in SPSS software version 24. The mean scores ± standard deviation of the participants' psychological distress, spiritual well-being, and domestic violence were 24.68 ± 6.43, 79.89 ± 18.98, and 11.24 ± 1.5, respectively. The results showed that psychological distress had a significant negative correlation with spiritual well-being (ρ = - 0.84, P < 0.001) and domestic violence (ρ = - 0.73, P < 0.001). The results of the multiple linear regression analysis also showed that spiritual well-being and domestic violence could predict the psychological distress of pregnant women who were exposed to domestic violence, which explained 73% of the psychological distress in the participants. According to the study results, spiritually oriented education can be provided for women to reduce their psychological distress. Also, it is recommended that necessary interventions be used to reduce domestic violence and empower women to prevent it.

Meaning of the spiritual aspects of health care in pregnancy and childbirth

OBJECTIVE

to know the importance of the spiritual aspects of health care during pregnancy and childbirth, in the light of complexity thinking.

METHOD

qualitative research, based on complexity thinking. Twenty-seven postpartum women with children between one month and six months old participated in the study. The data were collected between August and November 2021, based on individual interviews with guiding questions. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis.

RESULTS

three themes were obtained: The inseparability of spiritual care and emotional care; Connection between spirituality and the uterus - sacred temple; Alternative techniques for spiritual health care.

CONCLUSION

the spiritual aspect of health care during pregnancy and childbirth can be considered an essential resource in the support of autonomy, security, and comfort. In addition, it can enable favorable outcomes in childbirth by strengthening the maternal-fetal attachment.

Significado da dimensão espiritual do cuidado em saúde na gestação e no parto

Resumo Objetivo: conhecer o significado da dimensão espiritual do cuidado em saúde na gestação e no parto, à luz do pensamento da complexidade. Método: pesquisa qualitativa, fundamentada no pensamento da complexidade. Participaram 27 puérperas com filhos entre um mês e seis meses de idade. Os dados foram coletados, entre agosto e novembro de 2021, a partir de entrevistas individuais, com questões norteadoras. Utilizou-se para a análise dos dados a Análise Temática. Resultados: obtiveram-se três temáticas: A indissociabilidade entre cuidado espiritual e cuidado emocional; Conexão entre dimensão espiritual e útero - templo sagrado; Técnicas alternativas e complementares de cuidado espiritual em saúde. Conclusão: a dimensão espiritual do cuidado em saúde na gestação e no parto pode ser considerada recurso essencial no despertar da autonomia, da segurança e do conforto, além de possibilitar desfechos favoráveis no parto pelo fortalecimento do vínculo materno-fetal.

Significado de la dimensión espiritual de la atención en la salud en el embarazo y en el parto

Resumen Objetivo: conocer el significado de la dimensión espiritual de la atención en la salud durante el embarazo y el parto, a la luz del pensamiento de la complejidad. Método: investigación cualitativa, basada en el pensamiento de la complejidad. Participaron 27 puérperas con hijos entre un mes y seis meses. Los datos fueron recolectados entre agosto y noviembre de 2021, a partir de entrevistas individuales, con preguntas orientadoras. Para el análisis de los datos se utilizó el Análisis Temático. Resultados: se obtuvieron tres temas: La inseparabilidad entre el cuidado espiritual y el cuidado emocional; Conexión entre dimensión espiritual y útero - templo sagrado; Técnicas alternativas y complementarias del cuidado de la salud espiritual. Conclusión: la dimensión espiritual de la atención en la salud durante el embarazo y el parto puede ser considerada un recurso esencial en el despertar de la autonomía, la seguridad y el confort, además de posibilitar resultados favorables en el parto al fortalecer el vínculo materno-fetal.