Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire Research Articles

The influence of general anxiety and childbirth-specific anxiety on birth outcome

In the present study, we examined a German sample to determine whether anxiety symptoms during pregnancy had an impact on the duration and method of childbirth. Data of N = 88 women recruited at the Heidelberg University Hospital were used in the analyses. Prepartum anxiety symptoms were assessed with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI, general anxiety) and the Pregnancy Related Anxiety Questionnaire (PRAQ-R, pregnancy-specific anxiety). Obstetric outcome was taken from birth records and operationalized by two parameters: the total duration of birth (dilation and fetal expulsion) and the incidence of pregnancy or birth-related interventions (ventouse, planned, and unplanned Cesarean section). The data show that childbirth-specific anxiety assessed by the PRAQ-R is an important predictor of total birth duration. In contrast, general anxiety measured by the STAI had no effect. The incidence of birth intervention was explained by parity. Anxiety, however, had no predictive value. In addition to medical factors, childbirth-specific anxiety during pregnancy plays an important role in the process of childbirth. The findings of the present study point to the need of implementing psychological interventions to reduce childbirth-specific anxiety and thereby positively influencing birth outcome.

Psychological determinants of pregnancy‐related lumbopelvic pain: a prospective cohort study

To study whether pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain outcomes at 36 weeks of gestation can be predicted by psychological determinants earlier in pregnancy. Prospective cohort study. Nine midwifery practices in different regions of the Netherlands. A cohort of 223 low-risk pregnant women in the Netherlands was followed from week 12 of gestation until 36 weeks of gestation. Both psychological determinants and lumbopelvic pain symptoms were investigated with a set of questionnaires at 12, 24 and 36 weeks of gestation. Psychological determinants were measured with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90), the Pregnancy-related Anxiety Questionnaire (PRAQ), and the Utrecht Coping List (UCL). Lumbopelvic pain outcomes were measured with the Pregnancy Mobility Index (PMI) and the Overall Complaints Index (OCI). Lumbopelvic pain symptoms and their impact at 36 weeks of gestation. There was a significant increase in scores on both the PMI and OCI across the three sampling occasions in pregnancy. Lumbopelvic pain outcomes showed significant associations with the psychological determinants perceived stress and recently perceived psychological and physical distress at all three times during pregnancy. Pregnancy-related anxiety was not a significant predictor of lumbopelvic pain outcomes, neither was coping. Lumbopelvic pain symptoms and their impact on daily activities at 36 weeks of gestation can be predicted by psychological determinants earlier in pregnancy; the combination of perceived stress and physical disability at 24 weeks of pregnancy seems to be the best predictor of disability in later pregnancy.

Changes over time in adult dental fear and correlation to depression and anxiety: a cohort study of pregnant mothers and fathers

We aimed to evaluate (i) changes in dental fear over time during pregnancy and after delivery among mothers and fathers and (ii) whether these changes inter-relate to changes in depression and anxiety. Longitudinal pilot data for the FinnBrain Cohort study were used. Of 254 pregnant families, 80% agreed to participate and 60% returned questionnaires at the first data-collection point. After three data-collection points [weeks 18-20 and 32-34 of pregnancy (H18-20 and H32-34, respectively), and 3 months after childbirth], 99 mothers and 74 fathers had filled out at least two out of three Modified Dental Anxiety Scale questionnaires and were included in this study. Other questionnaires used were the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the State Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Pregnancy Related Anxiety Questionnaire. All scales were analyzed as sum scores. Among mothers, dental fear decreased during late pregnancy and increased slightly after childbirth, but no statistically significant correlations between dental fear and depression or anxiety, except for fear of giving birth, were found. Among fathers dental fear increased and was correlated with depression and anxiety. Dental fear seems to fluctuate among women during pregnancy and could be affected by hormonal changes.

Comparison of four self-report measures and a generic mood question to screen for anxiety during pregnancy in English-speaking women

BackgroundIncreasingly researchers and clinicians have called for perinatal mental health depression screening to be broadened to also screen for significant levels of anxiety. This study therefore aimed to compare the screening performance during pregnancy of four self-report anxiety measures, as well as a generic mood question. MethodThe measures tested were two measures of general anxiety (the anxiety subscales of the Edinburgh Depression Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and two measures of pregnancy specific anxiety by Huizink and colleagues, and Rini and colleagues (both originally called the Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire). A generic mood question (Matthey Generic Mood Question) asking about stress, anxiety, unhappiness or difficulty coping was also tested. Between 132 and 389 women completed these measures at their first antenatal clinic appointment and up to 249 women completed a diagnostic interview and various measures two weeks later. ResultsThe generic mood question performed best, detecting between 58% and 87% of high scorers on the other measures, including 80% of the women with an anxiety disorder. The next best measure was the EDS anxiety subscale, detecting between 26% and 73% of high scorers on the other measures, though this only detected 54% of the women with an anxiety disorder. LimitationsFindings are only applicable to English-speaking women. In addition whether the findings can be applied to women later in their pregnancy, or postpartum, is not known. ConclusionServices wishing to screen for not only possible depression but also possible anxiety should use the generic mood question. For those services which currently use the EDS we recommend they also score the three-item anxiety subscale.

Reliability and validity of the Dutch version of the maternal antenatal attachment scale

In this study, we investigated the psychometric qualities of the Dutch version of the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS). In a monocentric prospective observational cohort study, 403 expectant mothers completed a booklet with questionnaires in the first (T1), second (T2), and third (T3) pregnancy trimesters. In addition to the MAAS (T1-T3), the following measures were used: the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (T1), the Parental Bonding Inventory (T1), the Relationship Questionnaire (T1) the Facilitator scale and the Regulator scale (T3), the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (T1-T3) and the Pregnancy Related Anxiety Questionnaire (T1-T3). In this study, the mean of the MAAS scales increased as the pregnancy progressed. Good internal reliabilities were found for the Total MAAS scale, the Quality subscale and the Preoccupation subscale. Small-to-moderate correlations were found with social desirability, maternal orientation, parental care and adult attachment. Maternal mood was weakly associated with the quality but not with the intensity of the maternal attachment feelings. Overall, our findings suggest that the Dutch version of the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale is a reliable and valid measure of the early emotional tie between a pregnant woman and her unborn child.