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Salud mental
Print version ISSN 0185-3325
Abstract
FERNANDEZ ORDONEZ, Eloísa; RENGEL DIAZ, Cristóbal; MORALES GIL, Isabel María and LABAJOS MANZANARES, María Teresa. Post-traumatic stress disorder after subsequent birth to a gestational loss: An observational study. Salud Ment [online]. 2020, vol.43, n.3, pp.129-136. Epub Aug 28, 2020. ISSN 0185-3325. https://doi.org/10.17711/sm.0185-3325.2020.018.
Introduction
The loss of a pregnancy puts women at risk of suffering post-traumatic stress disorder. This circumstance can influence a subsequent pregnancy, and the link with the future baby.
Objective
The main objective of this work was to identify the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among post-partum women who give birth after having suffered a previous gestational loss and to identify possible relationships between PTSD and the variables studied.
Method
An observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study. A total of 115 puerperal women who had suffered a previous gestational loss completed questionnaires containing sociodemographic variables, obstetric history, and responses to the Davidson Trauma Scale.
Results
A score of 40 was established as a cut-off point in the Davidson Trauma Scale for the identification of PTSD. 21.7% of the participants scored 40 or above. Significant differences were found related to age (p = .030), number of pregnancies (p = .033), and number of gestational losses (p = .001). The probability of PTSD increases significantly in relation to the number of losses. Respondents are 2.55 times (β = .94 p = .027) more likely to suffer PTSD the higher the number of gestational losses suffered.
Discussion and conclusion
There are significant differences in the presence of PTSD among puerperal women in terms of age, number of pregnancies, and number of gestational losses. Post-partum women are more likely to suffer PTSD after a gestational loss the higher the number of gestational losses suffered.
Keywords : Mental health; perinatal loss; grief; pregnancy; post-traumatic stress disorders.