Search

The State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) has been widely used in research with pregnant women. However, few studies have examined its validity for this group. In this paper the content validity of the STAI, the impact of location and consequences for further participation of higher STAI scores are investigated for 215 pregnant women who completed the STAI at hospital or community based clinics. The study participants answered the open ended question, 'How do you feel about your pregnancy?' and whether or not they would be willing to take part in further research. Results indicated that STAI state scores reflected the nature of women's spontaneous comments regarding their pregnancy, with lower anxiety related to more 'positive' comments. The state scores were also found to be sensitive to the risk level associated with the clinic where the inventory was completed; higher scores related to high-risk localities. Women with the highest levels of state or trait anxiety were also less likely to wish to take part in further research. The study concludes that the STAI does reflect the anxiety-related experiences of pregnant women and that its use with pregnant women is appropriate in this respect; however, we recommend that future research notes the issue of potential recruitment biases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effect of using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) in routine antenatal care. More specifically, we wanted to study the impact on the management of depressive symptoms when midwives were aware of women's EPDS scores and given training about its potential impact and the ways in which it can be ameliorated. Sixteen midwives (study group) were informed of the woman's EPDS score in gestational week 25, and 16 midwives were not (comparison group). Women in the study group displayed a significant reduction in the within-group EPDS mean score from week 25 to week 36 compared with women in the comparison group. An analysis of change scores revealed that whilst there was no significant difference between the groups in number of visits to the midwife or the doctor, or in number of referrals to a mental health professional, there was a significant difference in change patterns for the two groups from the first to the second assessment. The results of this study suggest that midwives who are aware of pregnant women's depressive symptoms and are given training in how to ameliorate them, support these women more effectively than midwives who are not aware and have not been given additional training on its treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fear of childbirth is a common feeling among expectant mothers. Although it represents a physiological expression of women's concerns, it can become a clinical condition compromising the woman's daily activities as well as her coping strategies during labour and delivery. Research has focused on adverse intrapartum and postpartum outcomes of fear of childbirth. As regards intrapartum outcomes, some studies have investigated the association between fear of childbirth and type of delivery, with contrasting results. This study aimed at reviewing the literature on the association between fear of childbirth and emergency caesarean section delivery. This systematic review was based on an electronic search of English-language published studies through 31 December 2018. Following the search process, 14 studies were included. Studies were analysed specifically considering the sample parity and tools for evaluating fears. These studies revealed that both sample characteristics and assessment instruments are not criteria for explaining the different result. The importance of distinguishing between fear and severe fear was highlighted because the effect of fear on the type of delivery was present only for clinical fear. However, the different cut-off values did not make it possible to reach a clear result, making further investigation necessary. FOC - Fear of Childbirth; ECS - Emergency Cesarean Section [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]