Anxiety during a crisis: emotional effects of screening for neural tube defects.
Anxiety was assessed in prospective mothers undergoing screening for foetal neural tube defects. Anxiety was found to be extreme and only returned to normal levels when a definitely negative amniocentesis result was communicated to the woman. Anxiety was mitigated by social and family support but other life events had little effect on it.
D000649:Amniocentesis / Q000523:psychology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D012944:Social Support; D014463:Ultrasonography; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins