(Press-News.org) Expectant mothers who learn from prenatal diagnosis that they are carrying a fetus with a congenital heart defect (CHD) commonly suffer post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety. However, a healthy relationship with one's partner and positive coping mechanisms can reduce this intense stress, according to new research from the Cardiac Center of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The study is published in the September 2012 issue of The Journal of Pediatrics.
"Receiving the news of carrying a fetus with a CHD is a stressful event which can potentially influence a mother's anxiety level," said study leader Jack Rychik, M.D., medical director of the Fetal Heart Program in the Cardiac Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "Prenatal diagnosis is helpful in that it gives parents time to learn about the defect, review treatment options, plan for necessary interventions and consider their options. While this is intrinsically a stressful time for parents, there has previously been little research on the details of this stress and ways to buffer it."
The researchers surveyed 59 pregnant mothers, ranging in gestational age from 17 to 31.5 weeks, who were recruited by nurse coordinators at either the initial visit to the Fetal Heart Program or a follow-up visit, then followed throughout the rest of their gestation. Participants intended to continue the pregnancy, and to plan for follow-up with the Fetal Heart Program. All were carrying fetuses with serious CHD requiring neonatal evaluation and postnatal surgical or catheter-based intervention within the first six months of life.
Using psychological evaluation tools and self-report instruments, the study team measured traumatic stress, depression and anxiety among the mothers. The researchers also measured partner satisfaction and collected demographic data.
More than 39 percent of the women experienced clinically important traumatic stress, 22 percent experienced depression, and 31 percent experienced state anxiety. Lower partner satisfaction and lower income were both associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety and traumatic stress. When the researchers controlled for partner satisfaction and income, they found denial to be most important factor contributing to depression.
"Prenatal diagnosis of CHD is a traumatic event for many pregnant women. In our study we found that a substantial proportion of mothers exhibited evidence for traumatic stress, with nearly 40 percent exceeding clinical cut-off points for post-traumatic stress disorder," said Guy S. Diamond, Ph.D., a psychologist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia who participated in this study.
"While individual coping skills are important, partner satisfaction may better predict a more resilient response to the stress of prenatal CHD," Diamond added. We have identified 'denial' as an important contributor to depression and that on-going counseling sessions should focus on this risk factor."
"This study is the beginning, and more research needs to be done to ensure we are giving mothers the very best multidisciplinary care. In one way, the families are fortunate to know in advance that their baby has a CHD and in another way given more stress with that knowledge. In the future, optimal management strategies to improve outcomes for both mom and fetus will include stress reduction techniques, which should accompany the diagnosis of CHD prior to birth," added Rychik.
INFORMATION:
Dr. Rychik's co-authors are Denise D. Donaghue, RN, MSN; Suzanne Levy, Ph.D.; Clara Fajardo, MS; Jill Combs, RN, MSN; Xuemei Zhang, MS; Anita Szwast, M.D., and Guy S. Diamond, Ph.D., all from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Dr. Rychik is supported in part by the Robert and Dolores Harrington Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cardiology.
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country, ranking third in National Institutes of Health funding. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 516-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.
END
Can an abundance of sea otters help reverse a principal cause of global warming?
A new study by two UC Santa Cruz researchers suggest that a thriving sea otter population that keeps sea urchins in check will in turn allow kelp forests to prosper. The spreading kelp can absorb as much as 12 times the amount of CO2 from the atmosphere than if it were subject to ravenous sea urchins, the study finds.
The theory is outlined in a paper released online today (September 7, 2012) in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment by lead authors UC Santa Cruz professors Chris Wilmers ...
The structure of a federal program that provides monthly subsidies to promote the adoptions of special needs children in foster care may actually be delaying some adoptions, according to a new study by University of Notre Dame economist Kasey Buckles.
The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act (AACWA), passed in 1980, provides an average of $670 per month for foster parents of special needs children, while adoptive parents of special needs children receive an average of $571 per month. "Special needs" refers to foster children who may be harder to place ...
COLLEGE STATION – Improperly applied fertilizer to newly placed sod may result in nutrient runoff into the water supply, but just when is the best time to apply fertilizer and what kind is the best for new turf?
Aiming to answer those questions is a team of scientists from Texas A&M AgriLife Research: Dr. Jacqui Aitkenhead-Peterson, assistant professor of urban nutrient and water management; Dr. Ben Wherley, assistant professor of turfgrass science and ecology; Dr. Richard White, professor of turfgrass physiology and management; and Jim Thomas, senior research associate, ...
VIDEO:
The movie shows a segment of the mutant intestine (3.5 day old fish, lateral view of the intestine). The time lapse images were taken over about six to eight hours....
Click here for more information.
PHILADELPHIA — The stiffness of breast tissue is increasingly recognized as an important factor explaining the onset of breast cancer. Stiffening induces molecular changes that promote cancerous behavior in cells. Bioengineering studies have found that breast cancer ...
NASA has begun its latest hurricane science field campaign by flying an unmanned Global Hawk aircraft over Hurricane Leslie in the Atlantic Ocean during a day-long flight from California to Virginia. With the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) mission, NASA for the first time will be flying Global Hawks from the U.S. East Coast.
The Global Hawk took off from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Thursday and landed at the agency's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va., today at 11:37 a.m. EDT after spending 10 hours collecting ...
A good violin depends not only on the expertise of the violin maker, but also on the quality of the wood that is used. The Swiss wood researcher Professor Francis W. M. R. Schwarze (Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, St. Gallen, Switzerland) has succeeded in modifying the wood for a violin through treatment with special fungi. This treatment alters the acoustic properties of the instrument, making it sound indistinguishably similar to a Stradivarius. In his dinner talk at the 1st ECRC "Franz-Volhard" Symposium of the Max Delbrück Center ...
As many as a quarter of Medicare recipients spend more than the total value of their assets on out-of-pocket health care expenses during the last five years of their lives, according to researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. They found that 43 percent of Medicare recipients spend more than their total assets minus the value of their primary residences. The findings appear online in the current issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
The amount of spending varied with the patient's illness. Those with dementia or Alzheimer's disease spent the most for ...
Set to officially launch its website at the apex of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, NINE THIRTEEN is a refreshingly bold, new magazine poised to take the lifestyle and entertainment worlds by storm Thursday, September 13th.
The well-known president, founder and Editor-In-Chief of NINE THIRTEEN, Catrina Cha'Ron, will be pulling out all the stops for this can't be missed media frenzy and fashionable event. With over 20 years of experience in top level management which includes launching mayoral initiatives and philanthropic service, for Cha'Ron NINE THIRTEEN is a dream realized. ...
Dr. Matthew Loop, who created and runs All-Pro Chiropractic and Pain Specialists helps several patients on a daily basis who suffer from back pain. Back pain is one of the most common ailments amongst adults, affecting hundreds of thousands each year. It can be related to muscle problems, a herniated disc or a simple misalignment of the spine.
Dr. Loop observes, "Most back pain typically originates from a particular mechanical issue, as when someone lifts a heavy box improperly or someone sits for an extended period of time on a poorly designed chair or simply using ...
YR Building Services, a premier commercial cleaning company serving the Lower Mainland and beyond, have released a new website design (http://www.yrbuildingservices.com/) to better cater to and communicate with the public. The company is well known for its comprehensive building maintenance, high quality janitorial cleaning services, experienced personnel and customer satisfaction.
Their newly designed website offers a detailed list and explanation of their _a href="http://www.yrbuildingservices.com"_commercial cleaning services_/a_, which can be customized ...
