Abstract

GUEDES, Maryse  and  CANAVARRO, Maria Cristina. Adaptation to pregnancy of primiparous women of advanced age and their partners. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2013, vol.14, n.2, pp.280-287. ISSN 1645-0086.

Introduction:First childbirth at advanced maternal age (AMA; = 35 years) has become an emergent public health concern. Recent studies have highlighted that primiparous women of AMA constitute a heterogenous group, in terms of their sociodemographic characteristics and reproductive trajectories. However, few studies have identified distinct subgroups of primiparous women of AMA and have compared their psychosocial adaptation during pregnancy, using a dyadic level of analysis. The present study aimed to: 1) identify different subgroups of primiparous women of AMA and their partners, considering their sociodemographic characteristics and reproductive trajectories; and 2) compare the psychosocial adaptation to pregnancy of these subgroups. The sample consisted of 91 primiparous women of AMA and their partners, who were recruited in the Maternity Dr. Daniel de Matos of the Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, EPE. Both partners filled a sociodemographic and clinical form, the Brief Symptom Inventory-18, the EUROHIS-QoL8 and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale-Revised. Results showed the importance of distinguishing couples with or without infertility history. Both subgroups showed similar levels of psychopathological symptomatology and dyadic adjustment, prevailing gender differences. However, men with prior infertility history showed a higher quality of life compare to men without prior infertility history. These results evidence the need to take into account the reproductive trajectories that antecede first childbirth at advanced maternal age and to prepare couple-focused psychoeducative interventions.

Keywords : Advanced maternal age; couple; pregnancy; psychosocial adaptation; reproductive trajectories.

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