Women's Coping Research Articles

Validation of the Persian version of the satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) in Iranian women with breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a major public health issue capable of harming personal satisfaction. The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) is one of the most commonly employed tools with which life satisfaction could be measured. The present study aims to assess the Persian version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) among Iranian women with breast cancer. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, a total of 115 women coping with breast cancer in Iran were selected through a convenience sampling method. The participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Persian version of the SWLS, and the DASS-21. The psychometric properties of the SWLS were examined as construct validity based on the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), reliability using Cronbach’s alpha, and divergent validity by examining the relationship with the DASS-21. Results of the CFA indicated that a single-factor model provides a good fit to the data: (sbX2 = 4.40 (p = 0.36); SRMR = 0.019; CFI = 0.99; NFI = .99; IFI = 1.0; RFI = .97; AGFI = 0.94; GFI = 0.99; RMSEA = .029). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the SWLS was 0.84. Significant negative correlations were found between SWLS and DASS-21 scores for anxiety (r = −0.58), depression (r = −0.61), and stress (r = −0.59) that demonstrated an acceptable divergent validity. As findings, this scale can be used to respect Iranian women with breast cancer as a reliable measurement tool for satisfaction with life. It could thus be recommended more extensively as an indicator of satisfaction with life in other oncological patients.

Women's perspectives on motivational factors for lifestyle changes after gestational diabetes and implications for diabetes prevention interventions.

IntroductionGestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication in pregnancy and constitutes a public health problem due to the risk of developing diabetes and other diseases. Most women face barriers in complying with preventive programs. This study aimed to explore motivational factors for lifestyle changes among women with a history of GDM and their suggestions for preventive programs.MethodsThis study used a qualitative approach in six focus group interviews with a total of 32 women. The selection criteria were time since onset of GDM, including women diagnosed with GDM, six months and five years after GDM, diagnosed and not diagnosed with diabetes. Inductive analysis was performed.ResultsThe women reacted with anxiety about their GDM diagnosis and experienced persistent concerns about the consequences of GDM. They were highly motivated to take preventive initiatives, but faced major adherence challenges. The demotivating factors were lack of time and resources, too little family involvement, lack of knowledge and social norms that may obstruct healthy eating. A powerful motivational factor for complying with preventive strategies was the well‐being of their children and partners.ConclusionsPreventive initiatives should be rooted in the women's perception of GDM/diabetes and based on their experiences with barriers and motivational factors. The well‐being and the quality of life within the family are dominant motivational factors which offer powerful potentials for supporting the women's coping capability. Further, there is a need to be responsiveness to the women and their families even a long time after the onset of GDM.

Women RISE: Empowering Women to Manage Chronic Pain and Informing Provider Opioid Prescribing Practices.

The Women RISE program, educating women and health care providers along with technology support, may reduce opioid use. Opioid use presented health concerns for women in Virginia's Central Shenandoah Valley. We evaluated the impact of Women RISE on self-management of chronic pain and opioid use, provider prescribing practices, and opioid reduction within our community. We implemented the Chronic Pain Self-Management Program (CPSMP), educated women and providers, and streamlined access to the Prescription Management Program. Opioid best practice alerts informed providers about their prescribing practices. The CPSMP was beneficial in improving women's coping skills, knowledge about opioid use, and overall quality of life. Opioid prescriptions were reduced 34%. We also reduced unneeded opioid analgesics within our community. Women were better able to manage chronic pain and stressors impacting opioid misuse. Opioid prescribing practices improved, limiting opioid availability in our community.

“I just gotta have tough skin”: Women's experiences working in the oil and gas industry in Canada✰

Women remain vastly underrepresented in the oil and gas workforce. As such, they are subject to gender-based discrimination and harassment, perpetuated by a hyper masculine work culture, yet little is known about their experiences working on the front lines. Guided by feminist interpretive inquiry, the purpose of this research was to understand the experiences of young women in blue collar and administrative positions within the oil and gas industry, in a small Canadian town. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 women ages 18–30 between February 2018 and March 2019. Data were analyzed using an inductive thematic content analysis, and findings were validated by a Local Advisory Committee. Participating women experienced gender-based discrimination and harassment. Still, many women enjoyed their work, took pride in defying gender-based expectations, and tended to persevere by having ‘tough skin’. Women's coping mechanisms tended to reinforce the masculine culture that perpetuates the gender-based challenges they face. Findings suggest that industry practices must adapt to create a safe and inclusive workplace.

CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF POLYGAMY: AN UNDERSTANDING OF COPING STRATEGIES BY CO-WIVES IN POLYGAMOUS MARRIAGE

Polygamy has become common practice in many communities including Pakistan. Objectives: The study investigated the causes of polygamy, outcomes, and women's coping strategies to deal with co-wives’ relationships. Method: Exploratory qualitative method was used. Data was collected from 11 polygamous women who consented to an in-depth interview. The study was conducted in 2017 with approval from the institution and polygamous women. Results: Three themes emerged from the study based on findings. First theme: reasons of polygamy as findings indicated that majority of females allowed their husbands for co-wives due to infertility or having only female children, husband’s love marriage, and in-laws family pressure because they wanted to secure their marriage instead of divorce. Second theme: outcomes of polygamy as jealousy, unhappiness, and loneliness due to injustice, by the spouse were explored as potential pitfalls of polygamy. The advantages of polygamy were included sharing in-house responsibilities and child-rearing. Third theme: The coping strategies used by polygamous women have included faith in religion, fate role, and compromise with the co-wives. Conclusion: Polygamous women though claimed that polygamy has disadvantages but to them, divorce is not an option. The policymakers and law enforcement agencies should pass laws for the welfare of polygamous women. They must be educated through different seminars and programs to cope with the stress and manage other consequences of polygamy. The study is not against polygamy but the need to improve the family structure of polygamous families is a major concern.

Menopause Symptom Experience and Perceived Well-Being Among HIV Positive and Negative Older Women in Ibadan, Nigeria

Globally, people are living longer with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and older individuals are becoming infected. Menopause symptoms affect women’s health and are associated with perceived declines in wellbeing. This study assessed and compared the menopause symptom experience and perceived wellbeing among HIV positive and negative older women in Ibadan Nigeria Focus group discussions were conducted among menopausal women attending the ARV and GOP clinics at the University College Hospital Ibadan. Opinions of discussants on knowledge and experience of menopausal symptoms, perceptions about the menopause and perceived health status were explored. A total of 90 HIV positive and 92 HIV negative women aged between 40 to 60 years were sampled. Knowledge of the cause of menopause was poor, with more HIV positive women opining that sexual promiscuity causes menopause. The majority of the discussants had adequate knowledge of menopausal symptoms with most of them reporting vasomotor and musculoskeletal symptoms. In both groups, perceptions about the menopause were generally positive as most of them opined that the menopause means freedom from sexual activity and child birth. More HIV negative women perceived themselves to be in good health compared to HIV positive women. Menopause induces many of the same metabolic changes that are being observed with HIV infection, and this may affect the health and quality of life of aging women with HIV infection. There’s a need for health education and health promoting interventions that will help these women in coping with the double burden of HIV infection and menopause.

A systematic review of supportive interventions to promote women's comfort and well-being during induction of labour.

To evaluate the effectiveness of non-pharmacological non-invasive supportive interventions for impacts on women's comfort and well-being during induction of labour. A quantitative systematic review without meta-analysis. Databases were searched for primary research published in English between 2000-2019: AMED, CINAHL, Medline, Maternity and Infant Care database, PsycINFO, and ProQuest. The quality of studies was evaluated using JBI levels of evidence and established critical appraisal tools. Studies describing measures of comfort, coping, and well-being for women during induction of labour were included. Two articles met the criteria for inclusion. There is limited evidence to suggest that women having outpatient cervical priming were more satisfied with their experience than women having inpatient cervical priming and that outpatient cervical priming did not increase women's anxiety. A specifically designed information brochure explaining the induction process improved women's knowledge and understanding. The quantitative systematic review followed the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination guidelines and Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care guidance. Quality appraisal was conducted using JBI levels of evidence, Cochrane Risk of Bias, and other established tools. A narrative description of the quantitative data was undertaken. There was insufficient evidence to perform a narrative synthesis or meta-analysis due to the nature of the study designs and insufficient outcome data. Globally, the number of women having an induction of labour is increasing and there is a lack of evidence on the effectiveness of supportive interventions. Components of supportive care for women having induction of labour require urgent evaluation. Measurement tools which capture the complexity of supportive care for women having induction of labour need to be developed and validated. This is the first review to evaluate non-pharmacological, non-invasive supportive interventions for women having induction of labour. The findings of this review identify the urgent need to develop an evidence base for effective supportive.

Development and validation of the prenatal activity restriction stress questionnaire: a Rasch rating scale analysis

BackgroundAntepartum activity restriction (AAR) is a common recommendation given to women at risk for preterm delivery. However, such treatment has been shown to cause heavy emotional burdens on the women receiving it since it requires them to face many challenges derived from the intervention. Nevertheless, current existing scales lack effective items that can reflect the distress of these women. The aim of this study was to develop a reliable instrument to assess the distress of women experiencing AAR.MethodThe Prenatal Activity Restriction Stress Questionnaire (PARSQ) was developed according to comprehensive literature review, women’s interviews, and existing pregnancy-special stress scales from August 2016 to July 2017 in southern Taiwan. Six experts evaluated its content validity; the Rasch rating scale model (RSM) was used to examine its item-fit, dimensionality, and reliability with 200 women with AAR experience. Furthermore, the concurrent validity was assessed through computing the correlation of AAR women’s scores on the PARSQ and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and discriminant validity of the PARSQ was assessed to compare the scores’ differences between the AAR women and the healthy pregnant women.ResultsThe PARSQ was constructed with 23 items in the 4-dimensional scale: Role function changes (8 items), Fetal safety and health (5 items), Physical and psychological care issues (5 items), and Socioeconomic and medical issues (5 items). It was confirmed to have satisfactory content vitality (CVI = 0.78 to 1.0), reasonable item-fit (0.77 to 1.51), and good reliability in RSM model, as well as adequate concurrent validity (p = 0.005) and discriminant validity (p < 0.001).ConclusionsUnderstanding the distress of women undergoing AAR is necessary for developing appropriate prenatal care to assist women in coping with their situation to alleviate their emotional burdens. The developed PARSQ with satisfied psychometric properties can be an informative instrument for clinicians/researchers to assess the specific stress of pregnant women with AAR.

My Whole World Changed: A Qualitative Exploration of the Coping Experiences of Transgender Women After an HIV Diagnosis.

The aim of this study was to generate a theoretical stage model that describes transgender women's coping strategies and responses after a new HIV diagnosis. The sample included 18 transgender women living with HIV in a large metropolitan city in central Indiana. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using grounded theory methods. Participants commonly described the experience of being newly diagnosed with HIV as, having the world change. Four stages through which attempts at coping occurred were identified: having the world come crashing down; shutting out the world; living in a dark world; and reconstructing the world. This model advances our understanding of the social and behavioral factors that influence how transgender women cope with a new HIV diagnosis and how their coping responses influence entry and engagement in the HIV care continuum.

Effect of Shared Decision-making on Anxiety of Women Recommended for Prenatal Screening Tests in Southeast of Iran.

Objective: To study the effect of shared decision-making (SDM) on the anxiety of women who were recommended for prenatal screening tests. Materials and methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on a total of 200 pregnant women who referred to the health centers of Zahedan, Iran, for prenatal care within April 7 to September 7, 2019. The control group received routine care, and the intervention group attended a session based on SDM. The demographic characteristics form and Spielberger Six-item State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were filled out before and immediately after the counseling, as well as before receiving the results of maternal serum biochemical markers. Results: No statistically significant effect of SDM on anxiety was reported between the control and intervention groups immediately after the counseling session (P=0.46). However, the obtained data showed that the mean value of anxiety scores (16.52±3.06) was higher among the women in the intervention group than that reported for the control group (13.80±3.55) on the day before receiving the results of the blood tests (P<0.001). Nevertheless, logistic regression analysis showed only women with a university level of education were likely to have higher anxiety scores than women with lower educational levels (AOR=10.60; 95% CI: 2.07-54.24; P=0.005). Conclusion: Offering prenatal screening can cause a slight increase in the level of anxiety among women with a university level of education. Therefore, it is required to implement supportive strategies to help high-risk pregnant women in coping with anxiety.

NA LINHA DE FRENTE DA COVID-19 NAS FAVELAS CARIOCAS:

Este artigo objetiva evidenciar as práticas cotidianas das mulheres no enfrentamento das consequências geradas pela pandemia em Rio das Pedras, uma favela localizada na zona oeste do Rio de Janeiro. Buscou-se analisar tais práticas sob a perspectiva feminista decolonial, visibilizando as resistências políticas decoloniais traduzidas pela auto-organização na luta pela vida favelada. Se em tempos de “normalidade” as mulheres faveladas tem ocupado a centralidade em diversas mobilizações políticas, como no caso da luta contra a remoção no contexto dos megaeventos, o cenário de crise sanitária também tem apontado para a resistência feminina de sociabilidade cotidiana como estratégia de sobrevivência. Elencar esses ditames sociais sob a perspectiva das mulheres de Rio de Pedras corresponde à convocação proposta pela resistência decolonial que nos convida a mapear os silêncios e as aspirações que a narrativa dominante não permite pronunciar.

"I just can't sit around and do nothing!": A qualitative study of Indonesian women's experiences diagnosed with heart disease.

Research into cardiovascular disease and its management in Indonesia, where it currently accounts for 67% of all deaths, has heavily emphasized the biomedical aspects; little is known about the individual's experience of the disease, especially for Indonesian women. This study aimed to understand how gender shapes Indonesian women's experiences of living with heart disease in their daily lives. Twenty-six women aged 30-67 years were interviewed, and the transcriptions analyzed using a qualitative framework informed by intersectional approaches to gender and culture. Three major themes emerged: (i) the effect of cardiovascular disease on women's day-to-day activities, (ii) its effects on women's family relationships, and (iii) the women's coping strategies. The inability to fulfill their required social roles as mother or wife undermined the women's sense of self, a problem particularly acute in a cultural context where responsibility for maintaining harmony in the home and society is ascribed to women. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of women with cardiovascular disease, in order to deliver services that meet female patients' social, spiritual, and cultural needs.

Working Women Coping Strategy In Facing Work Conflict

This research is motivated by the conflicts that often occur in women workers in the workplace. Facing conflicts experienced, every human being has their own way of dealing with it. One strategy in dealing with conflict is coping, which is the response of individuals to overcome problems. The purpose of this study was to determine the coping strategies of working women against work conflicts. This study uses a quantitative approach. Respondents in this study were 44 working women in a private tertiary institution in Indonesia. The instrument used in data collection uses the scale of problem focus coping, the scale of emotional focus coping, and the scale of a work conflict. The results showed that there was a significant effect of emotional focus coping on work conflict, but the effect of problem focus coping on work conflict was not significant.

Interrelationship of Posttraumatic Stress, Hassles, Uplifts, and Coping in Women With a History of Severe Sexual Abuse: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Experiencing trauma, such as sexual abuse, increases the risk of a negative health outcome. The aim of the present study was to compare two groups of female survivors of sexual abuse, one group with a lower indication of posttraumatic stress disorder (L-PTSD) and one with a higher indication of posttraumatic stress disorder (H-PTSD). We hypothesized that, with a history of sexual abuse, higher levels of PTSD symptoms would be associated with more daily hassles, fewer daily uplifts, and more maladaptive coping strategies, and that there would be more reporting of severe types of sexual victimization, less resourceful socioeconomic conditions and a lower level of emotional stability. A questionnaire, including measures of socioeconomic conditions, trauma experience, emotional stability (the Single-Item Measures of Personality), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL), daily hassles and uplifts (the Stress Profile), and coping strategies (the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced [COPE] questionnaire), was completed by 57 female users at nine support centers for survivors of incest and sexual abuse in Norway. The results show that the H-PTSD group reported significantly more daily hassles, fewer daily uplifts, and more use of maladaptive coping strategies. The L-PTSD group reported more emotional stability, fewer daily hassles, and more uplifts, and used more adaptive coping strategies. However, few differences were found between the H-PTSD and the L-PTSD groups with regard to severity of sexual abuse and socioeconomic conditions. The results on the hassle, uplift, and coping scales are potentially interesting from an interventional point of view. Major life events such as sexual abuse may be out of control for the afflicted victim. Appraisal of and coping with everyday events, however, can be affected and offer interesting possibilities for interventions directed at the survivor, her significant others, and professional helpers.

Fertility treatments among single mothers by choice in Israel, their experience and support systems

Background: Purpose: the study examines the difficulties and support systems of single mothers by choice undergoing fertility treatments. Design: A mixed-method research design was employed to collect quantitative and qualitative data simultaneously from single women undergoing fertility treatments. Methods: A questionnaire that evaluates the women’s coping with the fertility treatments and their support systems, where such systems exist, was distributed to a random sample of 150 single women, ages 34–45, undergoing fertility treatments in Israel. In addition, 5 interviews were conducted. Findings: Many participants reported financial difficulties, lack of family support, and fear of being alone in the process and after giving birth. Despite these difficulties, 45% of the participants reported that they would not quit treatment but would continue intensively. Conclusions: Single mothers by choice must contend on their own with the mental, physical, and financial burdens of prolonged fertility treatments. Often, they express their difficulties but avoid psychological treatment, even when it is offered. Clinical staff should be aware of their difficulties, offer explanations, and refer them for appropriate assistance. Clinical relevance: The emotional aspects of fertility treatments are integral to coping with the difficulties such treatments pose, and many studies have indeed focused on them with respect to couples. This study, however, examines the coping of single women, specifically single mothers by choice who have undergone fertility treatments in Israel in which centrality of traditional nuclear family is dominant, and their various difficulties arise from their decision of choosing single motherhood.

DINAMIKA COPING STRESS WANITA DEWASA AWAL YANG MENGALAMI ENDOMETRIOSIS

When a woman is a teenager, she will experience menstrual periods. Menstrual pain is normal for a woman. If the woman continues to experience more pain than usual, this is one of the symptoms of endometriosis. The pain that arises makes a person experience stress due to the disease itself. To deal with stress, it is necessary to carry out a resistance strategy, namely a stress coping strategy. The aim of the researchers was to determine the dynamics of stress coping in early adult women with endometriosis. This study uses an inductive qualitative approach with phenomenological methods. The informants in this study were individuals diagnosed with endometriosis. Data collection in this study was carried out through an interview process with two research informants. The results of this study indicate that when the two informants were diagnosed with endometriosis, the impact felt by the two informants was feeling stressed, anxious and afraid of the pain they experienced. To deal with the stress experienced by the two informants, they came up with coping strategies. In the form of focus coping problem, the two informants dealt with pain by taking medication, compressing the stomach with warm water, changing diet and lifestyle. In addition, emotional focus coping treatment by diverting to other things such as self-suggestions.

Abstract A103: How do coping resources and financial hardship affect rural Latina breast cancer survivors' stress and depressive symptoms: The Nuevo Amanecer Rural Trial

Abstract Introduction: Compared to their white counterparts, Latina breast cancer survivors suffer from greater distress and poorer health-related quality of life. Yet little is known about the determinants of such distress. Purpose: Examine the independent associations of coping self-efficacy, social support, neighborhood cohesion, engagement with physicians, and financial hardship with depressive symptoms and perceived stress using baseline data from a randomized controlled trial of a stress management intervention among Spanish-speaking rural Latina breast cancer survivors. Methods: All data were self-reported and collected via in-person interviews in Spanish, except for medical information, which was obtained from medical records review. Bivariate linear models regressed either depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-8) or stress (Perceived Stress Scale) on coping self-efficacy, social support, neighborhood cohesion, difficulty engaging with physicians, and financial hardship, controlling for demographic, medical factors, and study site. Hypothesized predictors that were statistically significant at p &amp;lt;0.20 in bivariate analyses were included in multivariate linear models. Higher scores on all measures signify more of the construct. Results: In bivariate analyses, coping confidence (b = -2.50; p &amp;lt;0.0001) and social support (b = -1.14; p &amp;lt;0.01) were negatively associated with depressive symptoms; difficulty engaging with physicians (b = 1.51; p &amp;lt;0.01) and financial hardship (b = 2.30; p &amp;lt;0.01) were positively associated with depressive symptoms. In multivariate analyses, only coping confidence (b = -2.35; p &amp;lt;0.0001) was negatively and independently associated with depressive symptoms, controlling for covariates. In bivariate analyses, coping confidence (b = -4.10; p &amp;lt;0.0001), social support (b = -2.66; p &amp;lt;0.0001), and neighborhood cohesion (b = -1.83; p &amp;lt;0.01) were negatively associated with stress; difficulty engaging with physicians (b=1.51; p =0.05) and financial hardship (b=4.58; p &amp;lt;0.0001) were positively associated with stress. In multivariate analyses, coping confidence (b = -3.65; p &amp;lt;0.0001) and neighborhood cohesion (b = -1.03; p &amp;lt;0.05) were negatively and independently associated with stress; financial hardship was positively and independently associated with stress (b = 3.44; p&amp;lt;0.01). Conclusions: Interventions that focus on increasing women's coping confidence and sense of neighborhood cohesion, and services to reduce their financial hardship, could help alleviate psychosocial health disparities among rural Latina cancer survivors. Citation Format: Anna M. Napoles, Jasmine Santoyo-Olsson, Anita L. Stewart, Carmen Ortiz, Steven Gregorich. How do coping resources and financial hardship affect rural Latina breast cancer survivors' stress and depressive symptoms: The Nuevo Amanecer Rural Trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr A103.

Coping style is associated with parental distress beyond having a mental illness: A study among mothers with and without mental illness.

Based on previous literature showing that the association between coping styles and outcome depends on the context in which the coping takes place, the current study assessed the association between coping styles and parental distress among mothers with and without serious mental illness (SMI). A total of 120 mothers (60 with SMI and 60 without) completed coping and parental distress questionnaires. Associations between having-not having a mental illness, coping styles, and parental distress (as a dependent variable) were examined. Having a mental illness was not associated with parental distress, whereas coping styles were. Specifically, for all women (with and without mental illness) coping styles of disengagement and distress externalization were positively related to parental distress. Professionals in the field need to be aware of and responsive to the universal stressors of motherhood and support adaptive strategies to cope with such motherhood-related challenges. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Social support, self-efficacy, cognitive coping and psychological distress in infertile women.

The aims of this research were to investigate the relationship of social support, self-efficacy and cognitive coping with psychological distress, as well as, to determine the mediating role of self-efficacy and cognitive coping between social support and psychological distress in infertile women of Pakistan. This cross-sectional study was conducted to recruit 158 infertile women from six hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan. A demographic questionnaire, multidimensional scale of perceivedsocial support, infertility self-efficacy scale, coping strategies questionnaire and depression anxiety stress scale were used to assess the study variables. The results found that significantother, family and friends support was negatively associated with depression, anxiety and stress, however, no relationship was found between friends support and anxiety. Self-efficacy and active-practical coping had negative, whereas, avoidance-focused coping had positive relationship with depression, anxiety and stress. Active-distractive coping was negatively and religious-focused coping was positively associated with depression. Mediation analyses revealed that self-efficacy mediated the effect of social support on depression, anxiety and stress, but no mediation was found between friends support and anxiety. Moreover, avoidance-focused coping mediated the link between social support and depression, as well as, between significant other support and anxiety. Social support, self-efficacy, active-practical coping and active-distractive coping had significant negative associations with psychological distress. Hence, structured programs should be developed to enhance societal acceptance and to reduce the negative attitude of people towards infertility.

The level of grief in women with pregnancy loss: a prospective evaluation of the first three months of perinatal loss

Objective To prospectively investigate perinatal grief in women with pregnancy loss. Methods A total of 215 women (mean (SD) age: 30.7 (5.9) years) who experienced pregnancy loss were included. Data on sociodemographic, marital and obstetric characteristics and Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS) (first 48 h, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after the loss) were recorded. Results Active grief scores were lower (p ranged < .05 to <.01), while difficulty coping (p < .05 for each) and despair (p < .05 for each) scores were higher in the 3rd month as compared with prior assessments. All PGS scores at the 48 h and 3rd month assessments were significantly higher in assisted and planned pregnancies (p < .01 for each). Maternal age was positively correlated with 48 h active grief (r = 0.19, p < .001), despair (r = 0.13, p < .05) and total PGS (r = 0.13, p < .05) scores. Parity and the number of children were negatively correlated (r ranged from -0.35 to -0.20, p < .01 for each) with all PGS scores. Conclusion Our findings revealed decrease in active grief levels, whereas gradual increase in difficulty coping and despair in women with pregnancy loss within the first 3 months of losing a child. Our finding indicate association of older maternal age, primiparity, assisted and planned pregnancies with regular antenatal follow up with higher total PGS scores as well as active grief, difficulty coping and despair scores in women regardless of the time of assessment within 3 months after the pregnancy loss.