Pregnancy-specific anxiety and its association with background characteristics and health-related behaviors in a low-risk population

Westerneng, Myrte; Witteveen, Anke B.; Warmelink, J. Catja; Spelten, Evelien; Honig, Adriaan; Cock, T. Paul de

doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2017.02.002

Cited by 50 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The inclusion of the additional predictor, age, revealed that younger age significantly predicted greater Fear of Childbirth scores. This is a finding consistent with the literature (Laursen, Hedegaard, & Johansen, ) and an association likely indicative of younger women having less experience to draw on (i.e., more likely to be nulliparous) and thus more fearful of the unknown (Westerneng et al, ). In sum, these results support assertions (Brunton et al, 2018; Bayrampour et al, ; Huizink et al, ), that the construct of pregnancy‐related anxiety (as measured by the PRAQ‐R2), is a distinct entity from state and trait anxiety and antenatal depression.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Pregnancy‐related anxiety: Re‐examining its distinctiveness†

Anderson

Brunton

Dryer

2019

Australian Psychologist

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Objective Pregnancy‐related anxiety has been identified as a distinct anxiety associated with adverse outcomes. This partial replication of the seminal study which demonstrated pregnancy‐related anxiety and measures of state/trait anxiety and depression shared little variance, provides additional empirical support for this anxiety type. In addition, the Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS) was examined together with the contributing role of neuroticism. Method Pregnant women were recruited online (n = 202, Mage = 25.0, SD = 4.9), and completed the Pregnancy‐Related Anxiety Questionnaire‐Revised (PRAQ‐R2), PASS, Edinburgh Depression Scale, State Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the International Personality Item Pool Neuroticism scale. Results There were small to very large correlations between all main variables. Large correlations between the predictors (anxiety, depression, neuroticism) indicated multicollinearity resulting in the exclusion of neuroticism. Multiple regression confirmed that the PRAQ‐R2 shared little variance with measures of anxiety and depression. By contrast, the PASS shared large proportions of variance with measures of anxiety. Conclusions The findings in relation to the PRAQ‐R2 support the proposition that pregnancy‐related anxiety is a distinct anxiety type. However, given the significant proportion of variance the PASS shares with anxiety/depression, the PASS is better suited for screening anxiety disorder symptomology but less suitable as a measure of pregnancy‐related anxiety. Limitations included a sample size that was not sufficient to enable stratification. Further, given that the PRAQ‐R2 assesses only some of the core pregnancy‐related anxieties, use of a more comprehensive scale of pregnancy‐related anxiety is needed for an accurate assessment. Clinical implications include the possibility that some women with elevated pregnancy‐related anxiety may be overlooked using existing measures. Given the reported prevalence and adverse outcomes, a psychometrically sound measure for pregnancy‐related anxiety may afford valuable intervention opportunities.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Pregnancy‐related anxiety: Re‐examining its distinctiveness†

Anderson

Brunton

Dryer

2019

Australian Psychologist

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“…It was noted that women excluded had significantly higher prevalence of pregnancy complications than those included in the analysis. Some studies claimed that maternal anxiety would increase gestational weight gain, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and gestational diabetes mellitus [15,42–44]. It is possible that the exclusion had led to a bias since pregnancy complications and/or might be linked to pregnancy anxiety which in turn might be associated with having ECS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These changes may cause great emotional fluctuations especially inprimiparous women. Pregnancy-specific anxiety, consisting of pregnancy-related worries and fears, is the most common emotional problem in pregnancy [15]. Pregnancy-specific anxiety has gradually been considered as a potential determinant that may affect women’s preference for CS.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pregnancy-specific anxiety and elective cesarean section in primiparas: A cohort study in China

Sun

Huang

et al. 2019

PLoS ONE

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between pregnancy-specific anxiety and elective cesarean section, and identify the critical period in which pregnancy-specific anxiety will affect the elective cesarean section. Primiparous women in the 1 st trimester of pregnancy were invited to participate in the cohort. General information on maternal socio-demographic characteristics and environmental exposure were collected using questionnaires. Pregnancy-specific anxiety was assessed by using pregnancy-specific anxiety questionnaire in the 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd trimester, respectively. Delivery modes and pregnancy complications were abstracted from medical notes. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was adopted to examine the relationship between pregnancy-specific anxiety and elective cesarean section. Results indicated the overall elective cesarean section rate in this study was 45%. Among 1 874 pregnant women, 30.9% women experienced anxiety at least once during pregnancy, and 6.9% women suffered from anxiety in all three trimesters. Anxiety in the 2 nd trimester was a significant predictor for elective cesarean section. Young maternal age and low educational level had indirect effects on women’s choice of elective caesarean section through affecting pregnancy-specific anxiety. More attention should be paid to maternal psychological problems, and professional counseling needs to be strengthened to protect women from pregnancy-specific anxiety.

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“…Pregnant women are vulnerable to stress and high levels may increase the risk of prenatal anxiety and depression [6]. Moreover, it is an important risk factor for pregnancy complications [7]. The importance of this issue is even more highlighted regarding that exposure to stressful environments can be associated with poor outcomes [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postpartum women’s perception of stressors in the delivery ward: a qualitative study

et al. 2020

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Objective: Delivery is a challenging event in women's lives. What happens during childbirth is stressful for most women. Regarding the short and long-term effects of stressors of the delivery ward on childbirth and neonatal outcomes, and given that understanding the stressors are influenced by existing social culture and factors, the present qualitative study was conducted to investigate women's perception of stressors in the delivery ward. Participants were 13 newly delivered women who were monitored in the recovery room at the Fatemieh Hospital of Hamadan, Iran. Purposive sampling was performed and continued until data saturation. The data collection method was in-depth and semi-structured. Results: The content analysis of qualitative data led to the emergence of two themes of human stressors and environmental stressors as well as four categories; i.e., personal factors, care staff-related factors, environmental factors, and equipment-related factors. The research findings indicated that several personal, environmental, staff-related, and equipment-related factors could lead to stress in the labor and delivery ward. Although ignoring them and increasing stress during childbirth may jeopardize the childbirth consequences, most of them are ignored and overlooked. It is necessary to consider measures to control these factors as much as possible.

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Pregnancy-specific anxiety and its association with background characteristics and health-related behaviors in a low-risk population

Cited by 50 publications

References 40 publications

Pregnancy‐related anxiety: Re‐examining its distinctiveness†

Pregnancy‐related anxiety: Re‐examining its distinctiveness†

Pregnancy-specific anxiety and elective cesarean section in primiparas: A cohort study in China

Postpartum women’s perception of stressors in the delivery ward: a qualitative study

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