Maternal Stress and Its Effects on Infant Outcomes: A Proposal for Research
Journal Title: IOSR Journal of Nursing and health Science - Year 2018, Vol 7, Issue 3
Abstract
The burden of maternal stressamong HIV positive pregnant women in the Sub Saharan Africa region is a cause for concern. In addition, while Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT)programmes have reduced HIV transmission to infants, high morbidity and mortality have been documented among the growing population of HIV exposed uninfected (HEU) infants. The reasons for high infant mortality and morbidity among HEU infants has not been fully established. This research proposal is based on a study to improve our understanding onthe prevalence of maternal stress, nature of stressors, the ways adopted by the study participants to cope with stress and the association between maternal stress and infant outcomes. A nested prospective open cohort study design will be adopted. A systematic sample of at least 242 participants (121 HIV positive pregnant women and a control group of 121 HIV negative pregnant women) will be enrolled from polyclinics in 3 high density suburbs of Harare, Zimbabwe. At baseline, the participants will be screened for the exposure (maternal stress) using the Perceived Stress Scale. At the time of delivery, the newborn babies will be recruited to form mother – baby pairs. The pairs will be followed up for a 6 month period for various measures such as chronic maternal stress, maternal postnatal depression as well as for the major infant outcomes, namely infant morbidity, infant mortality and infant stress). The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) will be used to measure maternal postnatal depression at 6 weeks post-delivery. Infant stress will be measured through analysis of infant saliva cortisol levels. The Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) software package will be used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics will be used to analyze obstetric and sociodemographic data. Calculation of incidence rates of maternal stress and adverse infant outcomes, and estimation of risks (Relative Risk and Attributable Risks) will be done. The Chi square and the t-tests will be used for analysis of variance for statistical significance of differences. Logistic regression will show the different effects of several predictors on infant morbidity, mortality and infant stress.Infant mortality will be determined through survival analysis. For all statistical tests, a p-value of ≤0.05 will be considered statistically significant.The study findings will assist in providing information for a more holistic approach in predicting adverse infant outcomes. Data from this study will also assist in formulation of strategies towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3.2.
Authors and Affiliations
Rudo Nyamakura, Clara Maphosa Haruzivishe, Simbarashe Rusakaniko, Babill Stray-Pedersen
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP436001
- DOI 10.9790/1959-0703037579.
- Views 143
- Downloads 0
Health Care Providers’ Knowledge aboutUsing Gluten andCasein Free Diet (GFCF) for Improving Behavioral Disorders of Autistic Children: A Dietary Educational Intervention.
The removal of gluten and casein from the diet of autistic children has attracted significant interest from both lay and professional quarters. It has been our experience that many professionals are seeking additional tr...
Relationship between Insight, Self-stigma and level of Hope among Patients with Schizophrenia
Introduction: The relationship between insight, internalized stigma, and level of hope in patients with schizophrenia is imperative because of its close association with patients' readiness to seek treatment for their me...
Effect of Applied Educational Program on Quality of Life of Hepatitis C Patient Undergoing Treatment With Pegylated Interferon And Ribavirin.
Background: The primary concern of all hepatitis C patients undergoing the antivaral therapy of Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin is their health related quality of life (HRQoL), therefore an educational program is impo...
“Evaluate The Effectiveness Of Structured Teaching Programmed On Knowledge Regarding Nerve Conduction Study (NCS) Among Staff Nurses In Selected Hospitals Of Udaipur City, Rajasthan”.
A pre experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of structured teaching programme on knowledge regarding Nerve Conduction Study (NCS) among staff nurses in selected hospitals of Udaipur City, Rajasthan. The sample...
Evaluation of Mothers’ Stress in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Objectives: To determine the reasons for stress in mothers who had a hospitalized baby in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire that was distrib...