Maternal Psychological Stress After Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease

Effectiveness of medical self‐experience counseling in pregnant women after echocardiographic detection of a suspected fetal heart anomaly: A longitudinal study

“…Consistent with the cut-off points established by previous studies and according to the conditions in China, the following cut-off scores of 20 for the BDI-II and 52 for the STAI were used. [20][21][22][23]…”

“…The STAI and BDI-II scores of pregnant women with healthy fetuses from a prior study were evaluated as controls (State-STAI score 29.8 ± 6.35; Trait-STAI score 30.92 ± 6.98; BDI-II score 7.0 ± 5.00). 20 The means and Efficiency of self-experience counseling SDs of scores for anxiety and depression for the SCP, ICP and MCP groups are presented in Table 2. Using the State-STAI, Trait-STAI and BDI-II scales, the SCP, ICP and MCP subjects reported significantly higher anxiety and depression levels than normal pregnant women (all P < 0.01).…”

“…When the scores that exceeded the clinical cut-off for anxiety and depression were analyzed, the largest percentages were found in the SCP group (87.3% in the State-STAI, 91.2% in the BDI-II; 84.3% in the Trait-STAI). As shown in Figure 2, the State-STAI and BDI-II Coarctation of the aorta (5) Rhabdomyomas (6) PA-IVS (some forms) (15) PA-IVS (some forms) (20) Restrictive muscular VSD (67) TGA (complex) (8) TGA (simple) (9) Pulmonary stenosis (54) CTGA (4) Mild aortic stenosis (7) Tortuous PDA (6) PTA (9) Severe pulmonary stenosis (7) Trivial pericardial effusion (12) DORV (some forms) (11) Coronary artery disease (2) Possible coarctation (5) scores were significantly higher in the SCP group (all P < 0.05), but there were no significant differences in the Trait-STAI scores between the SCP, ICP and MCP groups. In addition, no significant difference was found between ICP and MCP groups when the State-STAI and BDI-II scores above clinical cut-off levels were taken into account.…”

At the Heart of the Pregnancy: What Prenatal and Cardiovascular Genetic Counselors Need to Know about Maternal Heart Disease

“…In the case of a positive prenatal genetic test result, at a minimum two possibilities could occur. A prenatal diagnostic test indicating the fetus is affected may help the mother-to-be, as it provides time before delivery to psychologically adjust to the diagnosis in her child and make preparations for delivery (Rychik et al 2013). A positive result, however, may also lead to additional distress, because it prompts discussions regarding whether to continue or terminate the pregnancy and because in the case of continuation of pregnancy it leads to knowledge that the future child is at risk for the genetic disorder.…”

The Psychological Well‐being of Pregnant Women Undergoing Prenatal Testing and Screening: A Narrative Literature Review

“…A significant proportion of parents whose fetus is found to be affected with a chromosomal condition exhibit posttraumatic stress symptoms or signs of major depressive disorder. 21 Those at greatest risk were of a younger age, were from a minority race, had postcollege education, or had a history of taking antidepressants. 22 The factor most highly correlated with the decision to terminate the pregnancy was a prior termination.…”