Trait anxiety, negative emotions, and the mothers' adaptation to an infant born subsequent to late pregnancy loss: a case-control study.
Women with (n = 27) a history of late pregnancy loss (> or = 20 weeks) due to congenital anomalies who had completed the subsequent pregnancy with a live-birth were compared with a group of mothers with newborns without such a history (n = 29) at 4 and 16 weeks post-partum. The following aspects were assessed; depression, anxiety, psychological distress, and mother-infant adaptation. The women with a previous pregnancy loss showed significantly more negative emotions than the women without such a history. In addition, they considered that their healthy baby experienced more problems with sleeping, crying, eating, and acquiring a regular pattern of this behaviour than the average baby. They also perceived their baby as being less ideal than the women without a previous pregnancy loss. These problems were particularly present 4 weeks post-partum and were significantly positively related to trait anxiety. The implications of this study are that in women with a history of late pregnancy loss, family physicians and welfare officers should be made aware of possible problems in the mother and in mother-infant adaptation shortly after a normal live-birth, particularly in those with high trait anxiety. They will then be able to arrange psychological support at an early stage.
Hunfeld
J A
JA
Department of Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Taselaar-Kloos
A K
AK
Agterberg
G
G
Wladimiroff
J W
JW
Passchier
J
J
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001007:Anxiety; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D008429:Maternal Welfare / Q000523:psychology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires