Symptoms In Mothers Research Articles

Stress and Coping Styles in Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Background:Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) require well-balanced care and a comprehensive therapeutic approach. Mental health problems often go unnoticed in mothers of children with ASD due to the focus on training for the children. The presence of stress and depressive symptoms in mothers can interfere with the quality of care and therapy given to the child. The present study aimed to assess the quality of life, coping styles, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress in mothers of children with ASD.Methods:This study recruited thirty mothers of children with ASD, to whom Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS 21), WHO Quality of Life Scale (WHOQOL-BREF), and COPE Inventory were administered.Results:Results indicated the presence of depressive and anxiety symptoms and impaired quality of life among the mothers. Despite this, they exhibited positive coping styles.Conclusion:As part of a comprehensive intervention for children with ASD, there is also a need to address the psychological distress and coping styles of mothers.

Association between depressive symptoms in mothers and metabolic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

Poor metabolic control in patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) is associated with short- and long-term complications. Adolescents with T1DM present poorer metabolic control than pa tients of other age groups. Few studies have shown an association between mothers with depressive symptoms and the metabolic control of their adolescent children. To evaluate the associa tion between maternal depressive symptoms and metabolic control of their adolescents with T1DM. Cross-sectional observational study carried out with adolescents aged between 10 and 18 years, with T1DM diagnosis of at least 1 year ago and their mothers. The Beck Depression Inventory-II and the SALUFAM questionnaire were applied, and sociodemographic data were co llected. Glycosylated hemoglobin from capillary blood was used as a marker of metabolic control. 86 couples (mother-adolescent children) were studied. The average age of the adolescents was 14.04 years and the average evolution time of T1DM was 5.95 years. 27.325.6% of mothers had depressive symptoms, which was associated with worse metabolic control of their children (HbA1c of 7.66% and 8.91%, p-value <0.001). 17.9% of adolescents had depressive symptoms, which was not associated with maternal depressive symptoms or worse metabolic control. Maternal depressive symptoms were also associated with lower maternal and paternal educational levels, high number of children in the family, presence of other siblings with chronic illnesses, and high health vulnera bility (SALUFAM). The mother's depressive symptoms can be associated with worst metabolic control in T1MD adolescents. It is fundamental a multidisciplinary family approach to get better metabolic controls in T1DM adolescents.

Spinal Emergency Surgery During Pregnancy: Contemporary Strategies and Outcome

Low back pain is a common complaint during pregnancy. However, spinal pathologies, which manifest with severe pain, radiculopathy, and acute neurologic deficits because of disk herniation or mass lesions require special attention. Here, we present our interdisciplinary experience in the surgical management of spinal emergencies during pregnancy. The data of pregnant women who underwent surgery for spinal pathologies over a 10-year period were collected. Patient-related characteristics such as maternal age, gestational age, preoperative workup, signs and symptoms of mothers, and diagnostic procedures were evaluated. After an interdisciplinary conference, individualized treatment plans regarding available options were developed. Fetal Doppler and cardiotocography were obtained before and after surgery. Nine pregnant women presented with spinal disorders and underwent spinal emergency surgery within the study period. The mean maternal age was 32.2 years. Six women presented with lumbar disk herniations manifesting as severe sciatica or foot drop and 3 patients had thoracic mass lesions resulting in cauda equine syndrome and/or ataxia. The mean gestational age at the time of presentation was 26.5 weeks. Caesarean sections were performed in 3 women prior to the neurosurgical procedure, whereas the pregnancies were maintained in the 6other patients. Eight infants who were healthy at birth had an unremarkable development. Surgery for spinal emergencies in pregnancy can be performed safely according to individual treatment plans developed by an interdisciplinary team taking into account the expectant mother's decision. Maintenance of pregnancy is possible and feasible in most patients.

Dyadic Profiles of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Mothers and Children Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence.

Children who witness intimate partner violence (IPV) develop posttraumatic stress disorder at alarmingly high rates. Research suggests that caregivers' symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTSS) often co-occur alongside children's PTSS, a phenomenon termed "relational posttraumatic stress." The goal of this study is to use dyad-centered analyses to examine heterogeneity in relational PTSS presentations in mother-child dyads, and to determine factors differentiating relational PTSS profiles. Data were drawn from a sample of 231 IPV-exposed, ethno-racially diverse mother-child dyads, with children ranging from ages 4 to 12. The results of a latent profile analysis indicated that a two-profile model was the best fit with the data. Both profiles indicated similar levels of PTSS across the dyad; however, they differed in overall symptom severity. Parenting and IPV severity significantly predicted profile membership; however, age did not. Results suggest that similarities in PTSS presentation should be expected in mother-child dyads, at least in families who experience IPV.

Long-term trajectories of depression symptoms in mothers of children with cancer.

To identify trajectories of depression symptoms in mothers of children with cancer from diagnosis/relapse through 5 years and examine maternal factors at diagnosis/relapse predicting membership in these trajectories. Mothers (n = 327; Mage = 37.6 years, SD = 7.7 years; 85.9% White) reported depression symptoms near the time of their child's diagnosis/relapse and then again at 1-, 3-, and 5-years postdiagnosis/relapse. Mothers also reported perceived stress, coping (primary control, secondary control, and disengagement coping), and spirituality near the time of diagnosis. Latent class growth analysis was used to identify latent trajectories of depression symptoms, and a 3-step multinomial logistic regression tested covariate predictors of membership in the trajectories. Three trajectories were identified: "low depression symptoms" (63.3%), "moderate depression symptoms" (31.5%), and "high depression symptoms" (5.2%). Mothers who used more primary and secondary control coping were more likely to be in the low depression symptom trajectory as compared with the moderate (OR = 1.64, p = .024 and OR = 1.38, p = .013, respectively) or high trajectories (OR = 1.99, p = .008 and OR = 1.81, p = .001, respectively). Although mothers of children with cancer generally displayed improved mental health further from diagnosis, mothers with more depression symptoms after diagnosis/relapse displayed substantial stability in depression symptoms over the 5 years. Mothers of children with cancer may benefit from early screening of mental health and coping strategies, as well as interventions to bolster effective coping for those with elevated depression symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Trajectories of maternal symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder predict long-term mental health of children following the Wenchuan earthquake in China: A 10-year follow-up study

Background: Maternal psychopathology can be an important factor associated with psychological adjustment of children. However, there is limited research on long-term impacts of maternal posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on children's mental health. This study examined how PTSD trajectories of women exposed to the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China predicted their children's mental health symptoms 10 years after the earthquake. Methods: 410 dyads of mothers and their adolescent children who exposed to the Wenchuan earthquake were investigated at 12 and 18 months post-earthquake. While the mothers completed measures of earthquake exposure and PTSD symptoms, the children completed measures of earthquake exposure, PTSD, depression and anxiety symptoms. In the 10-year follow up, 257 out of the 410 children completed measures of PTSD, depression and anxiety symptoms. Data were analyzed using linear regression. Results: Four trajectories of maternal PTSD symptoms were identified: (a) chronic (9.5%); (b) resilient (66.3%); (c) delayed (7.6%); and (d) recovery (16.6%); More importantly, the findings demonstrated that children whose mothers experienced chronic PTSD reported higher level of PTSD and anxiety symptoms 10 years after the earthquake. Limitations: Only two waves of maternal PTSD were collected, self-reported tools other than clinical reviews were used to collect data, and a significant proportion of participants did not respond at the 10-year follow-up. Conclusions: This study identified maternal PTSD trajectories following the Wenchuan earthquake. Chronic PTSD symptoms in mothers were associated with increased risk of children's PTSD and anxiety 10 years after the earthquake.

1022: Association between extremely preterm cesarean delivery and maternal depressive symptoms: a national population-based cohort study

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether cesarean delivery before 26 weeks was associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms of mothers of preterm infants in comparison with cesarean deliveries between 26 and 34 weeks. The Etude Epidémiologique sur les petits ages gestationnels (EPIPAGE) 2 is a national prospective population-based cohort study of preterm birth in 2011. We included mothers who delivered between 22 and 34 weeks and whom mothers' self-reported depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale: CES-D) and state anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory: STAI) symptoms were assessed at the moment of neonatal discharge. To assess the association of cesarean delivery before 26 weeks with depression (CES-D ≥ 16) and anxiety symptoms (STAI ≥ 45), we used univariate and cluster (to take into account a potential center effect) multivariate logistic regression analysis. Among 2270 women completing CES-D and STAI questionnaires at the moment of neonatal discharge, 38 (0.6%) had cesarean delivery and 61 (0.9%) had vaginal delivery before 26 weeks whereas 1415 (62.7%) women had cesarean delivery after 26 weeks and 744 (40.1%) had vaginal delivery after 26 weeks. Depression symptoms occurred in 25 (65.8%) women having cesarean delivery before 26 weeks versus in 748 (50.6%) women having cesarean delivery after 26 weeks (p=0.03). Cluster multivariate logistic regression showed significant association of cesarean delivery before 26 weeks and depression symptoms compared with cesarean delivery after 26 weeks (adjusted odd ratio [aOR], 2.61 ; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-6.02) whatever neonatal birth weight and severe neonatal morbidity. Univariate and cluster multivariate analysis did not show significant association between preterm mode of delivery and anxiety symptoms. Cesarean delivery before 26 weeks is an independent factor of depressive symptoms in mothers of preterm infants. Perinatal professionals should be aware of maternal psychological morbidity and take special preventive care to these women.

Neonatal outcomes and its association among gestational diabetes mellitus with and without depression, anxiety and stress symptoms in Malaysia: A cross-sectional study

ObjectivePrevalence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms in gestational diabetes mellitus ranges from 10.2% to 39.9% based on previous studies in Malaysia. Presence of depression, anxiety or stress in pregnancy may increase the risk of neonatal morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of neonatal outcomes and its association among mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus with and without the presence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms in Malaysia. DesignThis was a cross-sectional study. SettingTertiary hospitals in Malaysia. ParticipantsMothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (n = 418) who deliver their neonates at two major tertiary hospitals in Malaysia. MeasurementsNeonatal outcomes, such as low birth weight, preterm birth, macrosomia, metabolic and electrolyte disorders, neonatal respiratory distress and congenital anomalies were determined. FindingsPrevalence of low birth weight in neonates born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus was 14.6%, followed by metabolic and electrolyte disorders 10.5%, preterm birth 9.1%, macrosomia 4.8%, neonatal respiratory distress 5.8% and congenital anomalies (2.4%). Among the adverse neonatal outcomes, neonatal respiratory distress was significantly associated with the presence of depression symptoms in mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus using univariate analysis (p = 0.010). After controlling for confounding factors, predictors for neonatal respiratory distress at delivery were the presence of depression symptoms in mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (Adjusted OR = 3.87, 95% CI = 1.32-11.35), living without a husband (Adjusted OR = 9.74, 95% CI = 2.04–46.51), preterm delivery (Adjusted OR = 7.20, 95% CI = 2.23–23.30), caesarean section (Adjusted OR = 3.33, 95% CI = 1.09–10.15), being nulliparous and primiparous (Adjusted OR = 3.62, 95% CI = 1.17–11.17) and having family history of diabetes (Adjusted OR = 3.20, 95% CI = 1.11–9.21). Key conclusionsThe findings of this study demonstrate the positive association of neonatal respiratory distress with the presence of depression symptoms in mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus. Implications for practiceIt is therefore important to identify depression symptoms after a diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant mothers is made to enable early referral and interventions.

Sleep disturbances and affecting factors in young children with food allergy and their mothers

ObjectiveTo examine sleep patterns and sleep disturbance of children with food allergy (FA) and their mothers. MethodsThe food allergy group included 71 children with mean age, 2.97±1.52 years, and 58 control children were recruited the study. Mothers of children completed the Childhood Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) and The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in order to evaluate sleep disturbance in both children and themselves. Depressive symptomatology of mothers of children with or without food allergy was assessed with Beck-Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). ResultsThe mean total scores of CSHQ was 49.33±7.93 (range=31–68) in the FA and 42.39±6.43 (range=30–62) in controls. The total CSHQ scores were significantly higher in children with FA than in controls (p=0.002). The total PSQI score was significantly higher in mothers of children with FA than in mothers of children without FA (7.09±3.11 vs 5.15±2.59, p<0.001) indicating that the mothers of children with FA had worse sleep quality. The mothers of children with FA had more depressive symptoms than mothers of children without FA. The mean total scores of BDI-II were 10.10±6.95 in mothers of children with FA and 7.78±6.64 in mothers of children without FA (p=0.005). ConclusionThe presence of a food allergy in a child may be associated with a deterioration in sleep quality in children and mothers as well as increased depressive symptoms in mothers.

Religiosity/Spirituality and Mental Health Outcomes in Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Mediating Role of Positive Thinking.

This study examines associations between dimensions of religiosity/spirituality (R/S) and anxiety symptoms in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Mothers' positive ways of thinking and romantic relationship satisfaction were examined as mediators of associations. The extent to which child ASD symptom severity and maternal broad autism phenotype (BAP) behaviors predicted interactions with religious community members was also examined. Seventy-three Christian mothers of a child with ASD completed online surveys. Higher levels of spirituality were associated with viewing their child with ASD as providing a positive contribution to the family. These positive views were, in turn, associated with less anxiety symptoms. Mothers of children with more severe ASD symptoms also reported greater negative interactions with members of their congregation.

"I just don't want to be fat!": body talk, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorder symptoms in mother-adolescent girl dyads.

Mothers serve as a primary socializing figure among adolescent girls at a time when they are at high risk of body image concerns and disordered eating behavior, and this influence may vary by weight status. Body talk may be one mechanisms of influence in this relationship. The current study utilized an observational measure of body talk to investigate the relationship between adolescent girls' body talk with mothers, eating disorder symptoms, and body dissatisfaction. Participants included 100 mother-daughter dyads who completed self-report measures of body dissatisfaction and eating behavior and engaged in a 10-min discussion about the daughter's body image. Results indicated that the relationship between both positive and negative body talk and body dissatisfaction varied by weight status. For healthy/underweight adolescents, negative body talk is related to higher body dissatisfaction (b = 0.04, SE 0.01, p < 0.01) and positive talk is related to lower body dissatisfaction (b = -0.06, SE 0.02, p < 0.001). No relationship was found for individuals of overweight/obese status. Body talk was unrelated to eating disorder symptoms for all adolescents. Given the current findings, mothers should continue to limit their engagement in body talk (particularly negative talk) within the home. V, cross-sectional descriptive study.

Study of Anxiety Symptoms in Mothers of ADHD Children

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood onset psychiatric disorders that is characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. ADHD can affect social, cognitive and academic performance of children. All these impairments of psychosocial functioning can affect the quality of life of both patients and their families. Based on that, it is suggested that parents, especially mothers of ADHD children, display higher levels of depression and anxiety. Aim of the work: This study aimed to compare anxiety symptoms in the mothers with ADHD children with control group. Patients and Methods: Fifty mothers of the ADHD children as study group and fifty mothers with children without any psychiatric disorder as control group. All were evaluated with to a semi-structured interview and Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale. Results: This study showed that 19 in mothers of study group (32%) had no anxiety symptoms while 31(68%) had anxiety symptoms and 13 (26%) had above sever anxiety. In the control group 35 (70%) had no anxiety and 15(30%) had anxiety symptoms while 3 (6%) had above sever anxiety. There was statistically significant difference between the two groups (p value = 0 .05). There was no significant relation between intensity of maternal anxiety and the intensity of ADHD symptoms in their children. Conclusion: The present study suggested that the presence and intensity of anxiety symptoms in mothers of ADHD children are higher than the control group and there was no significant association with ADHD symptoms in children.

Study of Anxiety Symptoms in Mothers of ADHD Children

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood onset psychiatric disorders that is characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. ADHD can affect social, cognitive and academic performance of children. All these impairments of psychosocial functioning can affect the quality of life of both patients and their families. Based on that, it is suggested that parents, especially mothers of ADHD children, display higher levels of depression and anxiety. Aim of the work: This study aimed to compare anxiety symptoms in the mothers with ADHD children with control group. Patients and Methods: Fifty mothers of the ADHD children as study group and fifty mothers with children without any psychiatric disorder as control group. All were evaluated with to a semi-structured interview and Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale. Results: This study showed that 19 in mothers of study group (32%) had no anxiety symptoms while 31(68%) had anxiety symptoms and 13 (26%) had above sever anxiety. In the control group 35 (70%) had no anxiety and 15(30%) had anxiety symptoms while 3 (6%) had above sever anxiety. There was statistically significant difference between the two groups (p value = 0 .05). There was no significant relation between intensity of maternal anxiety and the intensity of ADHD symptoms in their children. Conclusion: The present study suggested that the presence and intensity of anxiety symptoms in mothers of ADHD children are higher than the control group and there was no significant association with ADHD symptoms in children.

Eighteen-year trajectories of depressive symptoms in mothers with a lifetime eating disorder: findings from the ALSPAC cohort.

Two longitudinal studies have shown that depressive symptoms in women with eating disorders might improve in the antenatal and early postnatal periods. No study has followed up women beyond 8 months postnatal. To investigate long-term trajectories of depressive symptoms in mothers with lifetime self-reported eating disorders. Using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children and multilevel growth curves we modelled trajectories of depressive symptoms from the 18th week of pregnancy to 18 years postnatal in women with lifetime self-reported anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or both anorexia and bulimia nervosa. As sensitivity analyses we also investigated these trajectories using quintiles of a continuous measure of body image in pregnancy. Of the 9276 women in our main sample, 126 (1.4%) reported a lifetime diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, 153 (1.6%) of bulimia nervosa and 60 (0.6%) of both anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Women with lifetime eating disorders had greater depressive symptoms scores than women with no eating disorders, before and after adjustment for confounders (anorexia nervosa: 2.10, 95% CI 1.36-2.83; bulimia nervosa: 2.28, 95% CI: 1.61-2.94, both anorexia and bulimia nervosa: 2.86, 95% CI 1.81-3.90). We also observed a dose-response association between greater body image and eating concerns in pregnancy and more severe trajectories of depressive symptoms, even after adjusting for lifetime eating disorders which also remained independently associated with greater depressive symptoms. Women with eating disorders experience persistently greater depressive symptoms across the life-course. More training for practitioners and midwives on how to recognise eating disorders in pregnancy could help to identify depressive symptoms and reduce the long-term burden of disease resulting from this comorbidity.

Effects of acceptance and commitment therapy on decreasing anxiety and depression symptoms in mothers of hearing-impaired or deaf children

Background and Aim: The presence of a child with hearing impairment in the family is often problematic and needs psychological interven­tions. The purpose of this study was to inves­tigate the effect of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on the symptoms of anxiety and depression in mothers of hearing-impaired or deaf children. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design and with experi­mental and control groups. The study population comprised all mothers of hearing-impaired or deaf children of 2–6 years old in Tabriz City, Iran. Using purposive sampling method, 32 mothers of hearing-impaired or deaf children were selected and then randomly assigned to control and experimental groups (each with 16 subjects). The experimental group was treated with ACT during 8 sessions of 1.5 hours long in two weeks. The study data were collected by the depression anxiety stress scale. Results: ACT was effective in decreasing anxi­ety and depression symptoms in mothers of hearing-impaired or deaf children (p &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: Considering the results and effecti­veness of ACT in reducing the symptoms of anxiety and depression in mothers of hearing-impaired or deaf children, this treatment is rec­ommended in rehabilitation centers for children with hearing problems.

Trajectories of stress biomarkers and anxious-depressive symptoms from pregnancy to postpartum period in women with a trauma history

ABSTRACT Background: Cross-sectional studies have found that a trauma history can be associated with anxious-depressive symptomatology and physiological stress dysregulation in pregnant women. Methods: This prospective study examines the trajectories of both anxiety and depressive symptoms and salivary cortisol and α-amylase biomarkers from women with (n = 42) and without (n = 59) a trauma history at (i) 38th week of gestation (T1), (ii) 48 hours after birth (T2), and (iii) three months after birth (T3). Results: The quantile regression model showed that trauma history was associated with higher cortisol levels at T1 and this difference was sustained along T2 and T3. Conversely, there were no significant differences in α-amylase levels between groups across the three time points and both groups showed an increase in α-amylase levels from T2 to T3. The ordinal mixed model showed that trauma history was associated with higher anxiety symptoms at T1 and this remained constant from T1 to T2 but was reversed from T2 to T3. In contrast, both groups showed similar depressive symptoms across the three time points. Conclusions: Whereas physiological stress dysregulation (in terms of higher cortisol levels) was maintained from pregnancy to postpartum period, pregnancy and childbirth were the most vulnerable stages for developing anxious symptoms in mothers with trauma history.

The left-cradling bias and its relationship with empathy and depression

Women usually cradle their infants to the left of their body midline. Research showed that the left cradling could be altered by affective symptoms in mothers, so that right cradling might be associated with a reduced ability to become emotionally involved with the infant. In this study, we assessed cradling-side bias (using family photo inspection and an imagination task), as well as depression and empathy, in 50 healthy mothers of 0–3 years old children. The main finding was that the strength of the left-cradling bias was negatively related with participants’ depression scores and slightly positively related with their empathy scores. Our results thus provide further evidence that cradling-side preferences can represent an evolutionary proxy of mother’s affective state, influencing the early development of the infant social brain and behaviour.

Small for gestational age babies and depressive symptoms of mothers during pregnancy: Results from a birth cohort in India

Background: Annually, more than a million low birthweight (LBW) is born in India, often afflicting disadvantaged families. Several studies have undertaken the association of poverty, nutritional status, and obstetric factors with LBW. Through our study, we aimed to examine the possibility of any relation between the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score measured during pregnancy with the incidence of babies born Small for Gestational Age (SGA). Methods: Pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic at a public hospital between 14 to 32 weeks were recruited from April 2016 to Oct 2017. The EPDS was administered to assess depression through face-to-face interviews. Newborn anthropometry was performed post-delivery. For analysis, birth weight <10 percentile was classified as SGA. Results: Prevalence of depressive symptoms (EPDS score >11) was 16.5% (n=108/654) in antenatal mothers. These women delivered a higher proportion of SGA babies (21.3 v/s 15.8) compared to women with no symptoms. The odds of women giving birth to a child with SGA were twice as high for women with EPDS scores >11 (adjusted OR = 2.03; 95% CI = 1.12 - 3.70) compared to the women with EPDS scores of ≤11, The EPDS 12 (Adjusted OR = 1.96; 95% CI = 1.04 - 3.69) and EPDS 13 (Adjusted OR = 2.42; 95% CI = 1.24 - 4.70) cut-off categories also proved to be a risk factor for SGA with significant p-value (0.0006 and 0.0003) and the individuals with more than 13 EPDS score is found to have the highest odds of SGA. Conclusions: We found a strong association of antenatal depressive symptoms during pregnancy with SGA measured by EPDS. Thus, we recommend the implementation of timely and effective screening, diagnostic services, and evidence-based antenatal mental health services to combat SGA and further associated-metabolic syndromes.

Sintomatologia em mães de adolescentes: Comparação entre praticantes e não praticantes de actividade física

O principal objectivo deste estudo foi verificar se a prática de exercício físico poderia influenciar os sintomas breves em mães de adolescentes nas diferentes fases de desenvolvimento. Foi usada uma amostra de 180 mulheres, tendo pelo menos um filho adolescente, com idades compreendidas entre os 31 e 55 os anos (42.32 ± 5.49). O instrumento utilizado foi o BSI-18 (Brief Symptom Inventory – 18) de Canavarro (1999). Os resultados sugerem, como está referido na literatura, que os indivíduos que praticam actividade física apresentam menores níveis de ansiedade, depressão, somatização e índice geral de sintomas (IGS) do que indivíduos que não sigam tais recomendações. Nas variáveis: número de filhos, estado civil e fases da adolescência não se denotaram diferenças estatisticamente significativas, porém mães divorciadas e com maior número de filhos apresentam piores índices de saúde mental. As que praticam exercício físico têm melhor saúde.

Effect of compassion‐focused group therapy on psychological symptoms in mothers of attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder children: A pilot study

AbstractBackgroundEvidence suggests that attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may accentuate varying psychological symptoms in parents. Since mothers are the most likely individuals interacting with ADHD children, it is highly probable that they will be influenced the most.ObjectivesThis pilot study aimed to determine the effect of compassion‐focused group therapy on psychological symptoms of mothers of ADHD children.MethodsA pre‐test–post‐test control‐grouped, quasi‐experimental study was carried out on a sample of 20 mothers of children with ADHD who were referred to the Health Centers of Isfahan City in Spring 2017. Prior to the intervention, the mothers’ psychological symptoms were recorded in both groups using the DASS‐21 questionnaire. Then, the mothers (n = 10) in the treatment group underwent 8 weekly sessions of 90‐min, compassion‐focused therapy. Both groups were post‐tested 1 week after the intervention. Finally, the collected data were analysed in SPSS‐23.ResultsThe results of the study showed that, after the intervention, the mothers’ psychological symptoms in the treatment group significantly decreased (pre‐test: 36.10 ± 7.96 vs. post‐test: 33.40 ± 4.28, p value &lt; 0.05), while no significant change was observed in the control group. Depression and anxiety levels showed a significant decrease in the treatment group as compared to the control group (p value &lt; 0.05), while participants’ stress levels remained the same in both groups (p value &gt; 0.05).ConclusionThe findings revealed that compassion‐focused therapy resulted in an increase in self‐compassion and inner calmness levels, and a decrease in the use of avoidance coping strategy on the one hand, and the need to regulate emotions and ruminations on the other hand, among the mothers of ADHD children, which subsequently led to a decrease in psychological symptoms.