Social support and subjective assessment of psychophysical condition, health, and satisfaction with quality of life among women after pregnancy loss

Perinatal loss: attachment, grief symptoms and women's quality of life

AIMS/BACKGROUND

Perinatal loss may cause intense distress even psychiatric issues, affecting the woman's quality of life. Attachment may provide a useful perspective in understanding the outcomes of the mourning process. Thus, the objectives of the present study were to evaluate perinatal grief symptoms and the psychological and general quality of life among 137 Italian women (mean age 36,9. ± 6,88 years old) in relation to attachment, specifically measured through parental care and control.

DESIGN/METHODS

About 79.6% of the participants had miscarriages and 20.4% had stillbirths. About 45.3% were childless. The women completed the Parental Bonding Instrument, the Perinatal Grief Scale and the Psychosocial General Well-Being Index online most frequently between 3 and 6 months (56.2%) after the perinatal loss.

RESULTS

All the study participants showed intense grief and severe grief reactions to loss. Moreover, women experiencing optimal bonding towards their own mothers had a more positive effect on perinatal grief and psychological and general quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS

Attachment-based, tailored interventions for women who have experienced perinatal loss should improve their psychological and overall quality of life.

Perceived social support improves health-related quality of life in cochlear implant patients

PURPOSE

Perceived social support has been shown to positively correlate with health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in a variety of conditions. This study investigated whether perceived social support is affecting HR-QoL of patients who receive a cochlear implant (CI) for deafness.

METHODS

Eighty eight adults (56 males, 32 females; mean age: 60 years) with a uni- or bilateral CI for bilateral high-grade hearing loss were administered two questionnaires: a questionnaire for perceived social support (FSU-14) and the Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ) for hearing-specific HR-QoL. Administration of the questionnaires occurred at four points in time: before implantation and three, 12 and 24 months after implant activation.

RESULTS

The CI patients had quite high levels of perceived social support (mean percentile rank: 71), which remained stable at all four measurement points. Multivariate Analysis showed a significant interaction between perceived social support and HR-QoL indicating that higher perceived social support lead to higher improvement of HR-QoL after cochlear implantation.

CONCLUSION

The CI patients in this study had higher than average levels of perceived social support, which did not change before and after cochlear implantation. Perceived social support and HR-QoL were related such that patients with high levels of perceived social support experienced greater improvement of their HR-QoL after cochlear implantation than patients with low levels of perceived social support. Based on this finding, perceived social support must be considered as an important factor for HR-QoL after cochlear implantation.

The Relationship Between Psychological Pain, Spiritual Well-Being, and Social Support in Turkish Women Undergoing Therapeutic or Elective Abortion

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between psychological pain, spiritual well-being, and social support among Turkish women undergoing therapeutic or elective abortion. The cross-sectional study was conducted with 342 women who were hospitalized in the gynecology and obstetrics service of a city hospital between March 2021 and December 2022 in Turkey. The mean psychological pain, spiritual well-being and perceived social support scores of women undergoing therapeutic/elective abortion were 26.96 ± 11.21, 110.72 ± 13.09 and 64.09 ± 15.62, respectively. There were a significant negative correlation between psychological pain with spiritual well-being and social support. According to linear regression analysis, spiritual well-being, social support, age, employment status, economic level, history of abortion, number of abortion, current abortion type, and gestational week were statistically significant predictive factors of psychological pain. Therefore, healthcare providers can provide individualized psychosocial-spiritual care and counseling services that decrease psychological pain in women after therapeutic or elective abortion.

Pregnancy loss in women with systemic lupus erythematosus: Grounded Theory

OBJECTIVE

to learn the meanings attributed to pregnancy loss by women with Lupus.

METHOD

qualitative research, based on Symbolic Interactionism and Grounded Theory. Data collection took place between January and August 2022 through in-depth interviews. Data analysis went through the stages of initial and focused coding.

RESULTS

seventeen women participated. The central phenomenon "The climb to motherhood: falls and overcoming" was constructed, consisting of three categories: "Falling to the ground during the climb: the experience of pregnancy loss"; "Getting up and following the path: new attempts to conceive"; and "Remembering the journey: meanings attributed to pregnancy losses".

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

experiencing pregnancy is, analogously, like climbing a mountain, where obstacles need to be overcome to reach the summit. The experience of pregnancy loss is seen as complex, especially when there is fragility in healthcare and a lack of awareness regarding feelings of loss and grief.

Stress and Coping Strategies among Women in Late Motherhood

Background: The shifting reproductive age of women is reflected in European populations. Pregnancy in women older than 35 years is considered high-risk and can be an additional source of stress. The aim of this study was to assess the perceived stress of women experiencing late motherhood and the coping strategies used. Methods: The study was conducted in Poland by means of a diagnostic survey, using the COPE (Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced) Inventory, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS), and a self-administered questionnaire. The study included 310 women who gave birth to their first child after the age of 35 and 313 respondents in a control group who gave birth before this age. Results: Based on the results, there were no statistically significant differences in feelings of stress among women who gave birth to their first child after the age of 35 (M = 18.33) compared to the control group (M = 18.14). However, statistically significant differences were observed regarding stress coping strategies. Conclusions: Women giving birth after the age of 35 were more likely to use strategies including active coping, planning, positive reformulation, acceptance, turning to religion, and seeking instrumental support.

Navigating Loss Together: A Scoping Review of Couples Therapy Interventions for Perinatal Death

The loss of a pregnancy at any stage can serve as an enormous stressor to a couple's relationship. However, empirically based interventions to reduce distress after perinatal loss have historically been aimed at the pregnant person, not the couple dyad. This excludes non-birthing individuals from receiving professional support and leads to a deficit in evidence-based therapeutic support for the couple dyad at a time in which a lack of connection has been shown to contribute to poor mental health and relationship outcomes for the individual and couple. This scoping review examines existing couple-based interventions for perinatal loss and the measurement of impact on the individual and couple dyad.

Psychologic Sequelae in Early Pregnancy Complications

Early pregnancy complications, including miscarriage, ectopic pregnancies, and hyperemesis gravidarum, are common discomforts accounting for about 15% to 20% of all pregnancies. A proportion of women with early pregnancy complications will experience short- and long-term psychologic sequelae in the aftermath of pregnancy complications, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which are the most commonly reported psychologic reactions. This review will focus on the course and impact of these psychologic sequelae in early pregnancy complications, and the noninvasive interventions to improve mental health are also briefly discussed.

Discharge teaching, patient-reported discharge readiness and postsurgical outcomes in gynecologic patients undergoing day surgery: a generalized estimating equation

Background

Gynecologic patients undergoing day surgery are discharged in an intermediate stage of recovery. The quality of discharge teaching and discharge readiness are important to patients’ postsurgical outcomes, but little research has focused on them.

Methods

Quality of discharge teaching and discharge readiness were measured, and Spearman correlations were conducted. Postsurgical outcomes were recorded on postoperative Day 1, postoperative Day 7, and postoperative Day 28. Generalized estimating equations were used to explore factors that influence postsurgical outcomes.

Results

Discharge teaching was verified to be positively correlated with the discharge readiness of participants. The generalized estimating equations indicated that discharge teaching skills, effects of doctors and nurses, patient-reported physical conditions and social support following discharge were protective factors for postsurgical outcomes.

Conclusions

Doctors and nurses should improve discharge teaching skills and effects to improve the postsurgical outcomes of gynecological patients undergoing day surgery. At discharge, doctors and nurses should assess patients’ physical condition and facilitate a social support system.

Perinatal Anxiety among Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Cross-Sectional Study

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way prenatal education and obstetric care are provided. Pandemic-related anxiety, restrictions, limitations in perinatal care, and the inability to be accompanied by a loved one can have negative psychological consequences for future parents and their child. The aim of this study was to analyze the determinants and assess the anxiety of pregnant women in individual trimesters, as well as to learn about the sources of support and medical personnel proceeding methods.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This research was conducted as a diagnostic survey, using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Childbirth Anxiety Questionnaire (CAQ), and a standardized interview questionnaire, on 534 pregnant women in Poland. Resultsand Conclusions: The pregnant women, regardless of the trimester of pregnancy, are characterized by: increased anxiety level influenced by the current epidemiological situation, psychophysical condition, previous maternal experiences, participation in classes preparing for childbirth, organization of perinatal care, their relationship with a partner, and the presence of a loved one during childbirth. A negative correlation was shown between the level of childbirth anxiety and maternal experience, as well as the support of a doctor and midwife.

Perceived Partner's Self-Control and Social Support Effects on Relationship Satisfaction in Couples Experiencing Infertility or Miscarriage: Dyadic Analyses

The process that infertile couples and those after a miscarriage go through is unpredictable and difficult to control; therefore, it is associated with a lowered sense of control for both partners. Uncontrolled stress creates a higher level of anxiety, which is associated not only with a lower quality of life but also with worse results from infertility treatment and higher risks of miscarriage. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between the partner’s perceived self-control and marital satisfaction in the context of the partners’ coping strategies. The actor-partner interdependence model was applied to 90 heterosexual married couples. Our results show that men who perceive their wives as being more self-controlled and women who are perceived by their husbands as being more self-controlled feel more satisfied in their relationships. The effect of a partner’s perceived self-control on satisfaction with the relationship was weaker when controlled for the length of marriage. It also appeared to be moderated through the spouses’ use of social support. We conclude that the effects of the partner’s perceived self-control and social support are strong for marital satisfaction in the context of infertility and miscarriage.