Usage d’Internet en fin de grossesse chez des femmes primipares : lien avec l’attachement et les troubles anxiodépressifs

Abstract

IntroductionThe pregnancy of a first child is a life event with a strong emotional impact. Like any life event, pregnancy is a time when the need for comfort and support can be increased. The issues related to attachment will be reactivated in future parents and affect the experience of this transition period. Pregnant women with an insecure attachment style would be particularly vulnerable to experiencing pregnancy-specific anxiety. Furthermore, depending on their representations of attachment relationships, future mothers may perceive their partner as more or less supportive. Faced with a lack of perceived support, expectant mothers could turn to other people. Nevertheless, seeking help and support is not always simple. The Internet could be an alternative source of support and information. Indeed, the specificities of online exchanges can allow another mode of exchange and facilitate the search for support, making the Internet a potential source of support. To face anxiety and depression sometimes experienced during pregnancy, social support is essential. It may help pregnant women to grasp the changes related to her new life. Future mothers with a high level of anxiety and depression, or with anxiety-depressive disorders, could use the Internet to find people with whom to exchange and find answers to their questions. The aim of this study is to explore the Internet use related to pregnancy by expectant mothers in relation to their attachment style, perception of social support, and level of anxiety and depression. Materials and methodsThis study is cross-sectional and was conducted among a sample of 28 pregnant women (mean=27.10 years; sd=3.70). To recruit participants, advertisements with a link to the survey were posted and shared on social networks. All the women were expecting their first child and were in the last trimester of their pregnancy. The participants completed an anonymous online survey. The survey assessed Internet use related to pregnancy, attachment style, perceived social support level of anxiety and depression by autoquestionnaires. ResultsPartial correlation analyzes, controlled by time prior to conception, showed a significant relationship between fearful attachment and (1) Internet use for information seeking, (2) Internet use having a perceived effect on emotions. Data revealed that Internet use to exchange and share experiences and emotions is significantly and negatively related to satisfaction of perceived social support. Finally, depression was linked to both Internet use for information seeking and Internet use for counseling and reducing negative emotions. ConclusionThe results of this study suggest that pregnant women with fearful attachment use the Internet to search for information related to pregnancy. This use could be explained by the fact that the fearful attachment is often associated with a higher level of stress. The need for reinsurance could then result in a multiplication of sources of information to handle the issues raised by pregnancy. The link between the level of depression and the use of the Internet to reduce negative affects suggests that the Internet can be perceived as a source of support by expectant mothers. However, the link between the level of depression and the use of the Internet for information seeking questions about the effects of this use. Indeed, the information and testimonies collected on the Internet could also lead to depressive symptomatology in future mothers.