Stress and Pregnancy Complications: A Prospective Study

Clifford, Ellen; Weaver, Susan M.; Hay, Dale F.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-7915-1_23

“…Evidence for a relationship between anxiety and obstetric problems has been demonstrated by studies using composite measures of complications 8 , and measures of psychological risk combined with medical risk factors 9 . Studies considering various obstetric outcomes separately have also demonstrated associations between anxiety during pregnancy and, for example, length of labour 10,11 ; pre‐eclampsia, prolonged labour and forceps delivery 12 ; use of anaesthesia during delivery 13 ; and preterm delivery 14 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does fear of childbirth during pregnancy predict emergency caesarean section?

Johnson

¹

,

Slade

²

2002

BJOG

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Objective Caesarean section rates are rising dramatically in the UK. It has been estimated that they have increased from 10% to 22% of all births over 15 years. A Swedish study has suggested that fear of childbirth during pregnancy may increase the risk of emergency caesarean section. The aim of this study is to identify whether fear of childbirth can predict the occurrence of emergency caesarean section in a UK sample. Design A prospective design using between-group comparisons.Setting Sheffield, S. Yorkshire, UK.Sample Four hundred and forty-three pregnant women, recruited at 32 weeks of gestation, over 16 years of age.Methods Participants completed self-assessment, postal questionnaires assessing fear of labour and anxiety using the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Scale (W-DEQ) and the Speilberger State Trait Anxiety Scale (STAI), together with their expectations about their mode of delivery. Delivery information was gathered via birth summary sheets. Main outcome measure Mode of delivery.Results Emergency caesarean section was associated with previous caesarean section, parity, age and a score reflecting medical risk, but not fear of childbirth or anxiety measures. There were no differences in fear between women experiencing spontaneous-vertex, forceps/ventouse, emergency or elective caesarean deliveries. The W-DEQ was factor analysed and was found to measure four distinct domains: fear, lack of positive anticipation and the degree to which women anticipate isolation and riskiness in childbirth. However, these individual factors also failed to contribute to the prediction of mode of delivery. Primiparous women in the UK sample showed highly elevated fear scores when compared with a Swedish sample. Such discrepancies were not found for the multiparous sample. Conclusions Fear of childbirth during the third trimester is not associated with mode of delivery in a UK sample. Possible cross-cultural differences are discussed.

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“…This hypothesis was developed from the suggestion that maternal anxiety during pregnancy is related to complications during labour, about which there have been a number of inconsistent research findings 4 -7 . Evidence for a relationship between anxiety and obstetric problems has been demonstrated by studies using composite measures of complications 8 , and measures of psychological risk combined with medical risk factors 9 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Evidence for a relationship between anxiety and obstetric problems has been demonstrated by studies using composite measures of complications 8 , and measures of psychological risk combined with medical risk factors 9 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does fear of childbirth during pregnancy predict emergency caesarean section?

Johnson¹

2002

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

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Objective Caesarean section rates are rising dramatically in the UK. It has been estimated that they have increased from 10% to 22% of all births over 15 years. A Swedish study has suggested that fear of childbirth during pregnancy may increase the risk of emergency caesarean section. The aim of this study is to identify whether fear of childbirth can predict the occurrence of emergency caesarean section in a UK sample. Design A prospective design using between-group comparisons.Setting Sheffield, S. Yorkshire, UK.Sample Four hundred and forty-three pregnant women, recruited at 32 weeks of gestation, over 16 years of age.Methods Participants completed self-assessment, postal questionnaires assessing fear of labour and anxiety using the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Scale (W-DEQ) and the Speilberger State Trait Anxiety Scale (STAI), together with their expectations about their mode of delivery. Delivery information was gathered via birth summary sheets. Main outcome measure Mode of delivery.Results Emergency caesarean section was associated with previous caesarean section, parity, age and a score reflecting medical risk, but not fear of childbirth or anxiety measures. There were no differences in fear between women experiencing spontaneous-vertex, forceps/ventouse, emergency or elective caesarean deliveries. The W-DEQ was factor analysed and was found to measure four distinct domains: fear, lack of positive anticipation and the degree to which women anticipate isolation and riskiness in childbirth. However, these individual factors also failed to contribute to the prediction of mode of delivery. Primiparous women in the UK sample showed highly elevated fear scores when compared with a Swedish sample. Such discrepancies were not found for the multiparous sample. Conclusions Fear of childbirth during the third trimester is not associated with mode of delivery in a UK sample. Possible cross-cultural differences are discussed.

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“…Pregnancy even under the best of circumstances can be a period of developmental crisis for some women (Clifford, Weaver, & Hay, 1988; Molfese, Bricker, Manion, Yaple, & Beadnell, 1987;Osofsky et al, 1985;Stack, 1987). The stresses of changing physical and social circumstances, such as hormone level changes, weight gain, and possible income depletion, can combine with the stresses of new psychological and interpersonal responsibilities, such as the creation of a new role of motherhood in first-time pregnancies, a change in husband-wife or family interactions, and a projected relationship with the baby.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Health-related behaviors are individualistic and appear to be a result of coping strategies toward psychosocial stressors in the pregnant woman's life. Unhealthy coping responses during pregnancy have been found to include alcohol and cigarette consumption, poor dietary and exercise habits, and poor medical treatment adherence (Clifford et al, 1988;Istvan, 1986; Levin & DeFrank, 1988; Reading, Campbell, Cox, & Sledmere, 1982), all of which are linked to environmental stress and emotional distress. Thus, psychosocial factors such as stress might have an indirect effect on the health of the pregnant woman and the fetus.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Emotional content of talk to the fetus and healthy coping behaviors during pregnancy

Nelson

¹

,

Fazio

²

1995

Infant Ment. Health J.

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This study examined whether the emotional content of talk to the self and to the fetus were related to health behaviors and psychosocial factors during pregnancy. One hundred fifty‐two third‐trimester pregnant women attending childbirth preparation classes completed a survey containing the Intrapersonal Communication Questionnaire, which sampled spontaneous talk to the self (self‐talk) and to the fetus (baby‐talk), and which yielded ratings of emotional valence of talk quotations into positive, negative, neutral, and mixed categories; the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale; and indices for life stress, social support, and consumption behaviors. Baby‐talk was more positive whereas self‐talk was more negative, or emotionally distressed. More mixed baby‐talk occurred with more medicine consumption, and medicine consumption was also related to lower self‐esteem and more life stress. More negative baby‐talk occurred when cigarette and caffeine consumption was higher. Emotional content of maternal talk to the fetus might indicate development of maternal bonding, and specific emotional contents might be related to health‐relevant coping behaviors, for example, consumption of cigarettes and caffeine. Clinical implications for maternal behaviors after birth are discussed.

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Stress and Pregnancy Complications: A Prospective Study

Cited by 5 publications

References 16 publications

Does fear of childbirth during pregnancy predict emergency caesarean section?

Does fear of childbirth during pregnancy predict emergency caesarean section?

Does fear of childbirth during pregnancy predict emergency caesarean section?

Emotional content of talk to the fetus and healthy coping behaviors during pregnancy

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