ABSTRACT

A woman’s first childbirth represents a moment of elevated maternal emotional vulnerability. Indeed, there is a prevalence of anxiety and depression symptomatology in primiparas during the postpartum period that negatively influences the well-being of the woman, of her newborn, and of the quality of their attachment bond. Much attention has been paid to the possible risk factors involved in the onset of mood disturbance in the postpartum. However, knowledge is still limited regarding the role played by the specific clinical aspects linked to labor. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore whether spontaneous or elective induction labor is linked to the level of postnatal depression and anxiety three months after birth. One hundred and sixty-one women (M_age = 31.63; SD = 4.88) were recruited, using the following inclusion criteria: native Italian women; age > 18 years; physically and psychologically healthy nulliparous with singleton no-risk pregnancy; no previous abortion or interruption of pregnancy; no previous psychopathological diagnoses. Exclusion criteria: twin pregnancy, fetal pathologies, and planned elective cesarean. Data was collected at two different times: T1 (day of childbirth) clinical data of labor (spontaneous or induced) from hospital records; T2 (three months after birth) level of mother’s depression and anxiety. In order to explore if the level of depression and anxiety three months after childbirth differ in women according to the type of labor, spontaneous or induced, two univariate analyses of variance (ANOVA) were conducted. Results showed that women who had a spontaneous labor reported lower levels of anxiety and depression than women who had an induced labor. Our results highlight the significant implications that the mode of labor has on the emotional well-being of mothers, underlining the need to support women throughout all their transition to motherhood, including the childbirth experience.

摘要

女人的第一次分娩代表了母亲情绪脆弱性升高的时刻。事实上，在产后期间，初产妇普遍存在焦虑和抑郁症状，这对女性、新生儿及其依恋关系的质量产生负面影响。产后情绪障碍的发生可能涉及的危险因素已引起了很多关注。然而，关于与分娩相关的特定临床方面所起的作用，知识仍然有限。因此，本研究的目的是探讨自发或选择性引产是否与出生后三个月的产后抑郁和焦虑水平有关。一百六十一位女性（M_年龄 = 31.63; SD = 4.88）被招募，使用以下纳入标准：意大利本土女性；年龄 > 18 岁；身体和心理健康的未生育单胎无风险妊娠；以前没有流产或中断妊娠；以前没有精神病理学诊断。排除标准：双胎妊娠、胎儿病变和计划择期剖宫产。在两个不同的时间收集数据： T1（分娩日）来自医院记录的分娩临床数据（自发或诱导）；T2（出生后三个月）母亲的抑郁和焦虑水平。为了探讨分娩后三个月的抑郁和焦虑水平是否因分娩类型（自发或诱导）而不同，进行了两项单变量方差分析（ANOVA）。结果表明，与进行引产的女性相比，进行自然分娩的女性报告的焦虑和抑郁程度较低。我们的研究结果突出了劳动方式对母亲情绪健康的重要影响，强调了在女性向母亲的整个过渡过程中支持女性的必要性，包括分娩经历。