Measuring resilience and stress during pregnancy and its relation to vulnerability and pregnancy outcomes in a nulliparous cohort study

Abstract

Background Resilience reflects coping with pregnancy-specific stress, including physiological adaptations of the maternal organism or factors arising from the socioeconomic context, such as low income, domestic violence, drug and alcohol use, lack of a support network and other vulnerability characteristics. Resilience is a dynamic characteristic that should be comparatively evaluated within a specific context; its association with perceived stress and social vulnerability during pregnancy is still not fully understood. This study aimed at exploring maternal resilience, perceived stress and social vulnerability during pregnancy and its associated factors and outcomes. Methods Prospective multicenter cohort study of nulliparous women in Brazil determining resilience (Resilience Scale; RS) and stress (Perceived Stress Scale; PSS) at 28 weeks of gestation (± 1 week). Resilience and stress scores were compared according to sociodemographic characteristics related to maternal/perinatal outcomes and social vulnerability, defined as having low level of education, being adolescent, without a partner or ethnicity other than white. Results We included 383 women who completed the RS and PSS instruments. Most women showed low resilience scores (median: 124.0; IQR 98–143). Women with a low resilience score (RS < 125) were more likely from the Northeast region, adolescents, other than whites, did not study or work, had a low level of education, low family income and received public antenatal care. Higher scores of perceived stress were shown in the Northeast, other than whites, at low levels of education, low annual family income and public antenatal care. Pregnant women with low resilience scores (n = 198) had higher perceived stress scores (median = 28) and at least one vulnerability criterion (n = 181; 91.4%). Conclusion Our results reinforce the role of resilience in protecting women from vulnerability and perceived stress. It may prevent complications and build a positive experience during pregnancy.

Mitochondrial might: powering the peripartum for risk and resilience

“…Indeed, the mitochondrial genome has a high rate of mutagenesis due to its exposure to external and internal noxious stimuli (Alexeyev et al, 2013). This leads to frequent mutations that may affect mtDNA stability and confer susceptibility to further challenges such as chronic stress (Bobba- Alves et al, 2023). Additionally, while genetic association studies in PPD are scarce, a few notable associations have been identified with mitochondrial interactors.…”

“…Additionally, as it is difficult to tease apart pre-disposing resilience factors from passive resilience (i.e., where "resilience" is due to a lack of a marker in susceptible subjects, such as nutrient deficiency) (Pfau and Russo, 2015), the field should shift focus to understanding whether and how pre-existing individual differences play a role in resilience to PPD. Finally, as psychological and socioeconomic resilience factors are some of the most studied in the clinical setting (Julian et al, 2021;Alves et al, 2023), we must aim to better understand how these factors are related to biology, and specifically how they are related to mitochondrial function. After all, preclinical work demonstrates that mitochondria are involved in social behaviors and may be affected by social stressors (Hollis et al, 2015(Hollis et al, , 2022Ülgen et al, 2023), suggesting that these factors are intertwined with biology.…”

The Moderating Effect of Self-Efficacy on Pregnancy Stress and Smartphone Addiction of Pregnant Women in Late Pregnancy: A Longitudinal Study

“…), and family economic burden. 11 A study on pregnant women in northwest China showed that Among 750 respondents, 709 (94.53%) had mild or above pregnancy stress. 12 The ACE (Anonymity, Convenience, and Escape) theoretical model proposed by Young 13 illustrated that the network had the characteristic of avoidance, and individuals used the network to escape the pressure generated in life.…”

The Influence of Personality Traits on Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review Based on the NEO-FFI Scale

“…Recent studies have begun to explore the relationship between these personality traits and postpartum mental health [18,19]. For example, women scoring higher in neuroticism have been reported to experience more severe symptoms of PPD [20].…”