Abstract
Ultrasound is a common medical care procedure during pregnancy which has psychological implications. Research has found that it reduces the mother’s level of anxiety, but there is not enough literature on the effects of the ultrasound in relation to the trimester it is done (first, second, and third) and the effects on the psychosocial adaptation to pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the ultrasound in the first, second, and third trimester on anxiety and variables related to psychosocial adaptation to pregnancy. A pre-post intervention design was used. Participants were 111 pregnant women attending a prenatal diagnosis ultrasound scan procedure, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Prenatal Self-Evaluation Questionnaire (PSEQ) were used to measure anxiety and psychosocial adaptation to pregnancy, respectively. Previous history was obtained through an interview. Results indicated that anxiety diminished after the ultrasound regardless of the trimester in which the ultrasound took place. However, first trimester ultrasound showed an additional benefit favoring the mother’s psychosocial adaptation to pregnancy, identification with the motherhood role, and the quality of the relationship with the partner. These findings suggest that in addition to the medical value of the ultrasound, it also has an important psychological value that has to be considered in order to guarantee an integral care of the pregnant women, especially in the first trimester.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank the pregnant women who participated in the study and the staff of the Prenatal Diagnosis Unit of the NISA VITHAS 9 de Octubre for their support and help with the recruitment of participants.
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The study was approved by The Research Ethics Committee of the University of Valencia and The Regional Ethics Committee of Clinical Studies of Medicaments and Medical Devices of the Valencian Community (CAEC) and was performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the operative version of the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
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Simó, S., Zúñiga, L., Izquierdo, M.T. et al. Effects of ultrasound on anxiety and psychosocial adaptation to pregnancy. Arch Womens Ment Health 22, 511–518 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-018-0918-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-018-0918-y