Coping with Stress in Complicated Pregnancy and Gestational Weight Gain

Abstract

Maternal obesity is one of the leading health problems in the world. Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) can lead to many complications during pregnancy, especially when it is accompanied by diabetes. Moreover, the risk of excessive GWG in pregnant women is significant, irrespective of prenatal counseling. Studies on this subject concerning coping with stress are lacking in the literature. The present work is aimed at evaluating the styles of coping with stress and their relation to GWG in pregnant women with gestational diabetes (GDM) for whom sudden adaptation to dietary management during this period can be challenging. It was indicated that women with GDM reported high stress related to potential maternal-fetal complications and worries about compliance with dietary management. The overall weight gain of participants in pregnancy was determined in connection to their prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and classified based on the Institute of Medicine guidelines. A standardized psychological scale was used to assess coping styles. The results showed that almost half of the participants did not meet the Institute of Medicine recommendations for weight gain during pregnancy. There were significant correlations between the styles of coping with stress and the GWG. Additionally, low correlations were indicated between emotional, avoidant, task-oriented coping styles and the age of pregnant women with GDM. Regression analysis showed that the stress-coping style that focused on emotions was the most predictive of overall weight gain. There is a need for a better understanding of psychological barriers in achieving the recommended GWG and potential limitations in providers’ interventions, particularly for GDM.

Improvement of stress adaptation and insulin resistance in women with GDM by WeChat group management during novel coronavirus pneumonia

“…Stress is a matter of debate (19,20). It is defined as the nonspecific response of the body to any stressor (21)(22)(23).…”

The Association of Avoidance Coping with Gestational Weight Gain among Pregnant Black Women

“…Researchers have found that high second trimester weight gain was predictive of overall excessive GWG (Overcash et al, 2015). Previously, avoidance coping has been correlated with self-reported health-harming activities among pregnant women (Pasha et al, 2021) and higher GWG in pregnancies complicated by GDM (Rolińska et al, 2021). The decrease in the reported use of avoidance coping strategies by late pregnancy among women who gained excess gestational weight may reflect a change in perceived stress, resources, or both as the gestation draws to a close.…”

“…A systematic review reported that avoidant coping styles among pregnant women have been associated with lower well-being, increased distress, higher depressed mood, greater variability in glucose among women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and higher levels of corticotrophin-releasing hormone (Guardino & Schetter, 2014). Study data among individuals with high-risk pregnancy (i.e., GDM) highlighted that coping styles, such as avoidance coping, were associated with higher GWG (Rolińska et al, 2021). However, this study was limited to a predominantly White cohort of high-risk pregnant women and the authors did not consider inadequate weight gain in their model.…”

“…Avoidance coping is one mechanism of coping that involves denying or avoiding the stressor (Holahan et al, 2005). Pregnant women who use maladaptive coping styles, such as avoidance coping, may be at risk for pregnancy-specific distress, health-harming activities (Pasha et al, 2021; Yali & Lobel, 1999), or gaining weight outside of the IOM’s GWG parameters (Rolińska et al, 2021). The potential role of avoidance coping as a predictor of gaining below or above weight gain recommendations during pregnancy should be explored.…”

Pregnancy and Childbirth Fear of Women from Poland, Greece, Turkey, Belarus, and Russia

“…It is essential to learn about the birthing process and a end childbirth preparation classes [12]. Many women worry about significant weight gain during pregnancy [13]. Women are often afraid that they will be less a ractive to their partner after giving birth.…”