Maternal-fetal attachment and prenatal diagnosis of heart disease.
OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that there are differences in the level of maternal-fetal attachment before and after fetal echocardiography in the presence or absence of cardiac abnormalities.


METHODS
Cohort study in which the mothers responded to a validated Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale. The study compared a group of pregnant women with diagnosis of fetal heart disease (FHD) with a group without this diagnosis ("no fetal heart disease" - NFHD).


RESULTS
197 pregnant women were included, 96 FHD and 101 NFHD. Maternal-fetal attachment at the initial and final periods showed no significant baseline differences between groups (p=0.081). At the final period, migration from medium to high level of attachment was significantly higher in FHD (p=0.017). Transition from medium to high levels comparing the initial and final periods was more pronounced in FHD (p=0.009).


CONCLUSIONS
Diagnosis of fetal heart disease increases the level of maternal-fetal attachment.
Fetal Cardiology Unit, Instituto de Cardiologia do Rio Grande do Sul/Fundação Universitária de Cardiologia, Porto Alegre, Brazil. Electronic address: patriciapruschel@gmail.com.
Patricia
P
Ruschel
Fetal Cardiology Unit, Instituto de Cardiologia do Rio Grande do Sul/Fundação Universitária de Cardiologia, Porto Alegre, Brazil. Electronic address: zielinsky.pesquisa@gmail.com.
Paulo
P
Zielinsky
Fetal Cardiology Unit, Instituto de Cardiologia do Rio Grande do Sul/Fundação Universitária de Cardiologia, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Cristiane
C
Grings
Fetal Cardiology Unit, Instituto de Cardiologia do Rio Grande do Sul/Fundação Universitária de Cardiologia, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Julia
J
Pimentel
Fetal Cardiology Unit, Instituto de Cardiologia do Rio Grande do Sul/Fundação Universitária de Cardiologia, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Liege
L
Azevedo
Fetal Cardiology Unit, Instituto de Cardiologia do Rio Grande do Sul/Fundação Universitária de Cardiologia, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Rafaele
R
Paniagua
Fetal Cardiology Unit, Instituto de Cardiologia do Rio Grande do Sul/Fundação Universitária de Cardiologia, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Luiz H
LH
Nicoloso
D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000523:psychology; D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000196:embryology / Q000523:psychology; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000196:embryology* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D033261:Maternal-Fetal Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000523:psychology*
Fetal echocardiography; Fetal heart disease; Maternal–fetal attachment; Pregnancy; Prenatal attention