Maternal stress among pregnant women in a birth cohort in Harare, Zimbabwe
Journal Title: IOSR Journal of Nursing and health Science - Year 2018, Vol 7, Issue 3
Abstract
Although beneficial strides have been made in making Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV protocols accessible to pregnant women, mental health issues such as maternal stress have received limited attention. The purpose of this pilot study was to characterize the prevalence, causes and ways of coping with maternal stress among HIV positive and HIV negative pregnant women in a birth cohort in Zimbabwe. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a purposive sample of 15 HIV positive pregnant women and a control group of 15 HIV negative pregnant women from 3 antenatal clinics in Harare, Zimbabwe. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was used to measure maternal stress. Data were collected through face to face interviews and use of participants’ medical records. Raw data were analyzed using the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) software package. Bivariate analyses (specifically the 2 independent sample Student’s t-test and Fischer exact tests) were conducted. A p value of ≤0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Ages of participants were from 18 to 43 years. Mean age was 28.1 (SD 7.1). The prevalence of maternal stress was higher (46.7%) among HIV positive pregnant women. There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of women with maternal stress when HIV positive and HIV negative women were compared (p=0.256). Only the average monthly family income was statistically significantly associated with maternal stress (p=<0.001). The majority, 17 (56.7%) of participants cited financial problems to be the cause of maternal stress. Nineteen (63.3%) adopted the avoidant ways of coping with stress. Further studies with larger sample sizes are recommended with a view of developing effective strategies to reduce maternal stress as well as promoting adaptive coping mechanisms among pregnant women.
Authors and Affiliations
Rudo Nyamakura, Clara Maphosa Haruzivishe, Simbarashe Rusakaniko, Kerina Duri, Asaph Ziruma, Babill Stray-Pedersen
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP435999
- DOI 10.9790/1959-0703037074.
- Views 113
- Downloads 0
Astigmatism Among Female University Students: Prevalence, Association With Socio-Economic Factors And Time Duration Of Using Electronic Devices
Astigmatism is a type of refractive error in which the eye does not focus light evenly on the retina. This results in distorted or blurred vision at all distances The aim of this cross-sectional study was to measure the...
TheEffectiveness of Nursing Educational Intervention OnImproving Fatigue Levels Among Egyptian Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Undergoing Antiviral Therapy
Background:Fatigue is a common side effect of antiviral therapy that affects patients’ overall wellbeing. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a nursing intervention for reducing fatigue levels among...
Effect of Psycho educational Program on Improving of Medication Adherence among Schizophrenic Patients
Background: Non-adherence in patients with schizophrenia is associated with increased hospitalization, higher health care costs and poor long-term outcomes in terms of relapse rates, and suicide attempts. The current stu...
Women’s Attitudes toward Gynecological Health
It has been known that the attitudes toward gynecological health is important for sanitation. This research has been conducted on women who attend to religious classes located in the city center of Sivas in Turkey to det...
Effects of Cold and Hot Beverage on Oral Temperature
Body temperature is one of the four major vital signs which must be monitored by healthcare providers to establish safe and effective care. Therefore, it’s crucial for healthcare provider to choose and use the most appro...