Abstract
Background and AimsKnowledge of carrying a fetus with a prenatal diagnosed anomaly may cause acute psychological stress to the parents. Most studies focus on maternal stress, yet fathers are often present at the ultrasound examinations and birth, and therefore may be affected, similarly, to the expectant mother. However, to date no existing studies have examined how detection of a fetal anomaly emotionally affects the expectant fathers throughout the pregnancy. Our aim was to longitudinally examine general health perceptions, social dysfunction and psychological distress in a subgroup of men where fetal anomaly was detected during pregnancy.Methods and ResultsThis study is part of the SOFUS study, a prospective, longitudinal, observational study. Participants were recruited when referred for an ultrasound examination conducted by a specialist in fetal medicine at Oslo University Hospital on suspicion of fetal malformation (study group). We examined differences between the men in the study group (N = 32) and a comparison group (N = 83) on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Impact of Event Scale (IES) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EDPS) across four time points in pregnancy. Results from repeated measured ANOVA suggests that depression decreased over time among men in both groups (η2 = 0.15, p < 0.001). This effect was stronger in the study group, and differed from the comparison group (η2 = 0.08, p < 0.001). There was also a main effect of time on IES scores, which decreased over time for both men in the study group and in the comparison group (η2 = 0.32, p < 0.001). That is, men in the study group were higher on IES initially, but this effect decreased more in the study group than in the comparison group. Men in the study group and comparison group did not differ on perceived general health (GHQ: p = 0.864).ConclusionResults suggests that detection of a fetal anomaly has implications for paternal mental health during pregnancy. Expectant fathers scored higher on EPDS and IES than the comparison group in the acute phase after detection of fetal anomaly, thus there is impetus to provide psychological support for fathers, as well as mothers, at this difficult time.
Highlights
Fetal anomaly is a genetic or physical condition that affects the embryo or fetus, and can be defined as structural or functional anomalies
This study aims to address gaps in the existing literature, with two key aims: (i) examine whether men with detection of a fetal anomaly score higher for psychological distress compared with a control group, (ii) test whether rates of psychological distress in these men may change throughout pregnancy
General Health Questionnaire Independent sample Mann-Whitney U test showed that men who experienced fetal anomaly prenatally did not differ from the comparison group on overall general health (GHQ Sum case score) or on health perception across all four assessments (Table 2)
Summary
Fetal anomaly is a genetic or physical condition that affects the embryo or fetus, and can be defined as structural or functional anomalies. In Norway, all pregnant women are offered one free ultrasound examination (anomaly scan) at around gestational week 18. The prognosis associated with these anomalies, may vary, and some mothers will have their pregnancy terminated following the detection of a fetal anomaly. For those who continue with their pregnancy, it has been emphasized that most couples consider it helpful to know the diagnosis in advance. Most studies focus on maternal stress, yet fathers are often present at the ultrasound examinations and birth, and may be affected, to the expectant mother. Our aim was to longitudinally examine general health perceptions, social dysfunction and psychological distress in a subgroup of men where fetal anomaly was detected during pregnancy
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