Abstract
BackgroundPreeclampsia is a frequent obstetric complication which affects the mother`s and the fetus’s health and can be life threatening. It also has an impact on psychological outcomes. There may be protective variables such as resilience shielding against psychosocial distress in women experiencing these pregnancy complications. The aim of this study was to examine differences in resilience in terms of quality of life, depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms in women after preeclampsia.MethodsFour international validated questionnaires were used to measure the psychological outcomes (Medical Outcome Study Short-Form SF12, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale EPDS, Resilience Scale RS13, Impact of Event Scale IES-R). Statistical analyses were performed using independent-samples t-test and chi-square test.Results67 women with previous preeclampsia returned the questionnaires. Women with high resilience showed significantly less depression (p = 0.001) and better mental quality of life (p = 0.002) compared to women with low resilience. No group differences were found on the medical and socio-demographic characteristics.ConclusionsResilience has an important impact on the psychological outcomes in women after preeclampsia. A screening for resilience, depression and quality of life may be appropriate to identify these women.
Highlights
Preeclampsia is a frequent obstetric complication which affects the mothers and the fetus’s health and can be life threatening
The mean depression score of women with less resilience (M = 11.5, SD = 6.2) was above the cut-off score of 10/11 for Austrian women, indicating more depressive symptoms for women with low resilience following preeclampsia compared to women with high resilience (M = 6.8, SD = 5.1)
No statistically significant differences were found with respect to the resilience groups
Summary
Preeclampsia is a frequent obstetric complication which affects the mothers and the fetus’s health and can be life threatening. It has an impact on psychological outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine differences in resilience in terms of quality of life, depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms in women after preeclampsia. The multifactorial pathogenesis of different preeclampsia phenotypes has not been fully elucidated, prevention and prediction are still not possible, and symptomatic clinical management is mainly directed to prevent maternal morbidity and mortality. Preeclampsia affects the health of the mother and the fetus seriously and may lead to maternal multiorgan dysfunction and uteroplacental insufficiency followed by intrauterine growth restriction and fetal asphyxia. Women have to cope with a serious, often life-threatening illness that affects themselves and their unborn [4]
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