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Revista Portuguesa de Medicina Geral e Familiar
Print version ISSN 2182-5173
Abstract
PEREIRA, Marco and CANAVARRO, Maria Cristina. Pregnancy planning and adaptation to motherhood among HIV-positive pregnant women. Rev Port Med Geral Fam [online]. 2012, vol.28, n.2, pp.106-114. ISSN 2182-5173.
Objectives: To analyse the influence of the planning of pregnancy on the adaptation to motherhood among HIV-infected women compared to healthy pregnant women. Design: Observational study with assessments performed during the second trimester of pregnancy and 2 to 4 days postpartum. Population: Ninety-eight women including 47 HIV-positive pregnant women and 51 healthy pregnant women Setting: Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra: Área de Gestão Integrada de Saúde Materno-Fetal -Psychological Intervention Unit of of the Doctor Daniel de Matos Maternity Hospital and the Doctor Alfredo da Costa Maternity Hospital (Lisbon). Methods: The adaptation to motherhood was assessed by the administration of three self-report questionnaires designed to assess psychopathological symptoms (Brief Symptom Inventory), emotional reactivity (Emotional Assessment Scale), and quality of life (WHOQOL-Bref). The association between the planning of pregnancy and adaptation to motherhood was analysed comparing HIV-positive pregnant women and healthy pregnant women. Inferential statistics were used with a significance level of 0.05. Results: The results support our hypothesis that unplanned pregnancies are associated with worse adaptation in the transition to motherhood. This is greater among HIV-infected women. In the postpartum period, unplanned pregnancies were significantly associated with higher psychopathology, higher negative emotional reactivity, and poorer quality of life. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance the planning of pregnancy in the adjustment to pregnancy and the postpartum period. These findings also stress the importance of the discussion of childbearing plans with HIV-infected women before pregnancy.
Keywords : Family Planning; Adaptation, Psychological; Human immunodeficiency virus.