Subsequent childbirth after previous traumatic birth experience: women's choices and evaluations

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 488-496
Author(s):  
Annaleena Holopainen ◽  
Claire Stramrood ◽  
Mariëlle G van Pampus ◽  
Martine Hollander ◽  
Carlo Schuengel

Background After a traumatic childbirth experience, women are often afraid of future pregnancies, and may be at risk for also experiencing their subsequent childbirth as traumatic. Aims Two questions were investigated regarding women's experience of their subsequent childbirth after a previous traumatic birth: (1) which factors in the previous traumatic birth are associated with the subsequent childbirth experience, and (2) fear of childbirth and coping behaviour during the subsequent pregnancy associated with the subsequent birth experience. Methods A total 474 Dutch women (mean age during traumatic childbirth=28.9 years; SD=3.9) answered an online survey about their previous traumatic and subsequent birth experience. Findings Making a birth plan, choosing a home birth in a high-risk pregnancy, and having a planned caesarean section emerged as statistically significant correlates of positive subsequent birth experience. Conclusion Experiencing control over the subsequent birth might underlie practices associated with more positive subsequent childbirth experience among women with a traumatic childbirth history.

Author(s):  
Julián Rodríguez-Almagro ◽  
Antonio Hernández-Martínez ◽  
David Rodríguez-Almagro ◽  
José Miguel Quirós-García ◽  
Juan Miguel Martínez-Galiano ◽  
...  

Although identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a global health priority, maternal mental health does not receive much attention even in the health systems of developed countries. With pregnancy monitoring protocols placing priority on the physical health of the mother, there is a paucity of literature documenting the traumatising effects of the birth process. To address this knowledge gap, this qualitative descriptive study aimed to investigate women perceptions of living a traumatic childbirth experience and the factors related to it. Qualitative data, collected via semi-structured interviews with 32 participants recruited from parent support groups and social media in Spain, were analyzed through a six-phase inductive thematic analysis. Data analysis revealed five major themes―“Birth Plan Compliance”, “Obstetric Problems”, “Mother-Infant Bond”, “Emotional Wounds” and “Perinatal Experiences”—and 13 subthemes. The majority of responses mentioned feelings of being un/misinformed by healthcare personnel, being disrespected and objectified, lack of support, and various problems during childbirth and postpartum. Fear, loneliness, traumatic stress, and depression were recurrent themes in participants’ responses. As the actions of healthcare personnel can substantially impact a birth experience, the study findings strongly suggest the need for proper policies, procedures, training, and support to minimise negative consequences of childbirth.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 294-303
Author(s):  
Emeline Chauchard ◽  
Julie Mariez ◽  
Marie Grall-Bronnec ◽  
Gaëlle Challet-Bouju

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The influence of marketing on addictive behaviours has been studied among tobacco and alcohol users. Although the fashion industry is highly influenced by marketing, research has poorly studied vulnerability to fashion marketing as a factor related to buying-shopping disorder (BSD) while considering psychological characteristics (buying motives, impulsivity, and self-esteem). <b><i>Objective:</i></b> The objective of the present work is to investigate the relationship between vulnerability to marketing and BSD. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Women (<i>n</i> = 242) were exclusively recruited through social networking. They completed an online survey exploring the severity of BSD using the <i>Compulsive Buying Scale</i> (CBS) and the psychological factors associated with BSD (impulsivity, self-esteem, and buying motives) and an experimental task designed to investigate the intention to purchase in several situations, where marketing modalities such as price, brand, and packaging fluctuate. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Among the 242 participants in the study, 34 were identified as compulsive buyers (14%). Income level was considered, and compulsive buyers displayed a higher level of vulnerability to marketing, except for the packaging modality. High levels of positive urgency, lack of premeditation, and coping motivation were found to be significant predictors of the CBS score, but vulnerability to marketing was not. <b><i>Discussion and Conclusions:</i></b> Compulsive buyers seem to be more sensitive to marketing strategies, although vulnerability to marketing was not identified as a predictor of the severity of BSD. Given the enormous literature on the role of marketing in other addictive behaviours, further studies are needed to better understand the role of marketing in BSD to develop appropriate public health policies.


Author(s):  
Asaf Benjamin ◽  
Yael Kuperman ◽  
Noa Eren ◽  
Ron Rotkopf ◽  
Maya Amitai ◽  
...  

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic poses multiple psychologically stressful challenges and is associated with an increased risk for mental illness. Previous studies have focused on the psychopathological symptoms associated with the outbreak peak. Here, we examined the behavioural and mental-health impact of the pandemic in Israel using an online survey, during the six weeks encompassing the end of the first outbreak and the beginning of the second. We used clinically validated instruments to assess anxiety- and depression-related emotional distress, symptoms, and coping strategies, as well as questions designed to specifically assess COVID-19-related concerns. Higher emotional burden was associated with being female, younger, unemployed, living in high socioeconomic status localities, having prior medical conditions, encountering more people, and experiencing physiological symptoms. Our findings highlight the environmental context and its importance in understanding individual ability to cope with the long-term stressful challenges of the pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 926
Author(s):  
Ángel Rosa-Alcázar ◽  
José Luis Parada-Navas ◽  
María Dolores García-Hernández ◽  
Sergio Martínez-Murillo ◽  
Pablo J. Olivares-Olivares ◽  
...  

Background: The main aim was to examine changes in coping strategies, anxiety and depression in obsessive–compulsive and schizophrenia patients during COVID-19, in addition to controlling the influence of intolerance to uncertainty and experiential avoidance. Method: The first time, the study comprised (15–30 April 2020) 293 patients, 113 of whom were diagnosed with obsessive–compulsive disorder, 61 with schizophrenia and 119 healthy controls, aged 13–77 years (M = 37.89, SD = 12.65). The second time (15–30 November), the study comprised 195 participants (85 obsessive–compulsive patients, 42 schizophrenic patiens and 77 healthy controls participants). The evaluation was carried out through an online survey. Results: The clinical groups worsened over time in cognitive coping, anxiety and depression, while the control group only worsened in depression. Intergroup differences in anxiety, depression and coping strategies were maintained, highlighting the use of some maladaptive strategies (avoidance, spiritual) in clinical groups. Experiential avoidance and tolerance for uncertainty mainly affected coping. Conclusions: The duration of COVID-19 not only produced changes in anxiety and depression in clinical groups but also in coping strategies to face this pandemic and its consequences.


Author(s):  
Brenda R Whitehead

Abstract Objectives The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic is appraised as a stressor influences perceived stress (PS) and psychological well-being during the event. Here, the association of older adults’ expectations concerning the pandemic’s duration and impact with PS and negative affect (NA) is investigated. Based on the stress and coping framework, PS is expected to mediate the association between COVID-19 expectations and NA. Methods Seven hundred fourteen residents of the United States and aged 60 and older completed an anonymous online survey in late March 2020 reporting PS, NA, and expectations regarding the pandemic. Results Regression analyses controlling for demographic factors revealed that more dire pandemic expectations significantly predicted PS and NA directly, and the effects on NA were significantly mediated by PS. Discussion Findings provide evidence that expectations about a pandemic influence the extent to which older adults experience stress and NA in the midst of a pandemic event. Implications for mental health are discussed.


10.2196/11125 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. e11125
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Sillence ◽  
John Matthew Blythe ◽  
Pam Briggs ◽  
Mark Moss

Background The internet continues to offer new forms of support for health decision making. Government, charity, and commercial websites increasingly offer a platform for shared personal health experiences, and these are just some of the opportunities that have arisen in a largely unregulated arena. Understanding how people trust and act on this information has always been an important issue and remains so, particularly as the design practices of health websites continue to evolve and raise further concerns regarding their trustworthiness. Objective The aim of this study was to identify the key factors influencing US and UK citizens’ trust and intention to act on advice found on health websites and to understand the role of patient experiences. Methods A total of 1123 users took part in an online survey (625 from the United States and 498 from the United Kingdom). They were asked to recall their previous visit to a health website. The online survey consisted of an updated general Web trust questionnaire to account for personal experiences plus questions assessing key factors associated with trust in health websites (information corroboration and coping perception) and intention to act. We performed principal component analysis (PCA), then explored the relationship between the factor structure and outcomes by testing the fit to the sampled data using structural equation modeling (SEM). We also explored the model fit across US and UK populations. Results PCA of the general Web trust questionnaire revealed 4 trust factors: (1) personal experiences, (2) credibility and impartiality, (3) privacy, and (4) familiarity. In the final SEM model, trust was found to have a significant direct effect on intention to act (beta=.59; P<.001), and of the trust factors, only credibility and impartiality had a significant direct effect on trust (beta=.79; P<.001). The impact of personal experiences on trust was mediated through information corroboration (beta=.06; P=.04). Variables specific to electronic health (eHealth; information corroboration and coping) were found to substantially improve the model fit, and differences in information corroboration were found between US and UK samples. The final model accounting for all factors achieved a good fit (goodness-of-fit index [0.95], adjusted goodness-of-fit index [0.93], root mean square error of approximation [0.50], and comparative fit index [0.98]) and explained 65% of the variance in trust and 41% of the variance in intention to act. Conclusions Credibility and impartiality continue to be key predictors of trust in eHealth websites. Websites with patient experiences can positively influence trust but only if users first corroborate the information through other sources. The need for corroboration was weaker in the United Kingdom, where website familiarity reduced the need to check information elsewhere. These findings are discussed in relation to existing trust models, patient experiences, and health literacy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria José Ferreira ◽  
Rui Sofia ◽  
David F. Carreno ◽  
Nikolett Eisenbeck ◽  
Inês Jongenelen ◽  
...  

The global COVID-19 pandemic crisis has caused an unprecedented impact on most areas of people’s lives. Thus, framed within the scope of Existential Positive Psychology (PP2.0), this study aimed at assessing the psychological distress of adults living in Portugal during the first national lockdown, how they are coping with stress, as well to contribute to a deeper understanding about the role that positivity, experiential avoidance, and coping strategies have in psychological distress and well-being. For this purpose, 586 Portuguese adults (73% females) ranging between 18 and 78 years old (M = 38.96, SD = 12.20) completed an online survey during the initial phase of the pandemic crisis in Portugal. Findings suggest that experiential avoidance was the strongest predictor of a negative response (depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness, and negative emotions), whereas positivity was a better predictor of psychological well-being and lower levels of depression. Additionally, self-blame, behavioral disengagement, and emotional venting were strong risk factors for psychological distress, whereas positive reframing, planning, and acceptance were associated with more positive outcomes. These findings highlight the critical role of experiential avoidance on individuals’ psychological distress and the essential contribution of positive life orientation in promoting flourishing. By offering a better understanding of the complex navigation through the dialectics between positive and negative life features, this study provides important and useful cues for psychological interventions directed at promoting a more positive and adaptive human functioning even through such potential adverse and painful life events.


Author(s):  
Kara M. Brown ◽  
Leena P. Mittal

This chapter on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the postpartum reviews the disorder that may occur following: a traumatic birth during which the mother is injured: postpartum medical problems such as hemorrhage or the occurrence of a defect or medical complications in the newborn. Symptoms of PTSD include nightmares, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, hypervigilance, avoidance of triggers, depressed mood, and a pessimistic view of the future. It is important to screen for PTSD after a traumatic birth as women often hesitate to come forward as they feel ashamed, lack insight into symptoms, lack support, or fear reproach. It is essential to attend to any residual physical trauma or pain following the delivery. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the treatment of choice. Medication may be helpful including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and prazosin to help educe nightmares.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document