title: Stress and anxiety in relation to amniocentesis: do women who perceive their partners to be more involved in pregnancy feel less stressed and anxious?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether imminent amniocentesis is associated with the perception of increased stress and state anxiety in women and their partners and whether greater partner's involvement during pregnancy alleviates women's stress and anxiety.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred twenty women awaiting amniocentesis and 90 male partners participated in the study. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, and Partner's Involvement in Pregnancy Scale were administered. Statistical analysis was performed using t test, one way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Imminent amniocentesis caused increased stress (17.6 +/- 6.8; t = 7.32, P < 0.001) and anxiety (42.0 +/- 11.9; t = 8.51, P < 0.001) in pregnant women, but not their partners (stress: 14.3 +/- 6.1; t = 0.17, P = 0.862; anxiety: 36.4 +/- 10.40; t = 0.66, P = 0.510). Stress was even more pronounced in women who experienced another stressor, like unplanned pregnancy, prenatal-related nausea and vomiting, or chromosomal aberration in a previous pregnancy. Significant negative correlation was found for women's stress and their perception of their partner's involvement during pregnancy (r = -0.23; P = 0.001); the same was not found for women's anxiety.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Greater partner's involvement during pregnancy could diminish women's stress, but elevated state anxiety just before amniocentesis could not be alleviated in the same way. Thus, health care professionals must pay greater attention to the psychological status of women undergoing amniocentesis to help them better cope with the situation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Brace Branchetta 20, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia. bojana@medri.hr
authors.forename: Bojana
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brajenović-Milić
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Martinac Dorcić
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuljanić
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Petrović
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000649:Amniocentesis / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D017523:Croatia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control
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