Introduction: The literature shows that women who conceived after in vitro fertilization (IVF) are emotionally vulnerable (Brandon, Pitts, Denton, Stringer and Evans, 2009); they reveal high level of anxiety compared with women with naturally achieved pregnancy (Sharon, Covington and Hammer-Burns, 2006). The level of anxiety increases in relation to the number of IVF treatment cycles; it seem to be related to the welfare of the child and the fear of being separated from him. Aims and Hipothesis: Aims of this study are to compare prenatal attachment and level of anxiety among IVF women and women who conceived naturally, and to identify predictors of attachment during pregnancy. We hypothesize: a) the presence of positive correlation between level of anxiety and maternal-fetal attachment in both groups; b) the absence of a relationship between maternal age, waiting time to conception and MFA in control group; c) the existence of a relationship between gestational age, waiting time to conception, fear of not being pregnant and MFA in study group. Method: The sample is made up of : a) Control group of 48 women, aged between 18 and 41 years, assessed in gestational weeks between 24 to 37; b) Study group of 43 women aged between 21 and 42 years in gestational weeks between 23 to 37. They completed: Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale (Cranley, 1981) to measure the maternal-fetal attachment during pregnancy; State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, Gorusch and Lushene, 1970) for the assessment of anxiety. In addition they completed a questionnaire constructed ad hoc to collect data on sociodemographic information: age, gestational age, waiting time to conception, fear of not being pregnant, high-risk pregnancy, number of treatment cycles, type of technique and presence of other children. Results: The results show that the fear of not getting pregnant is positively correlated with age in both groups. In the study group, the Manova shows that the interaction between gestational age and chronological age influences the state anxiety; the relationship between high-risk pregnancy and the waiting period influences the level of MFAS, the state anxiety and the trait anxiety. IVF women differ from controls on the following variables: fear of not getting pregnant and level of MFAS.
Prenatal attachment in women who conceived after in vitro fertilization and women who conceived naturally
PELLERONE, MONICA;
2014-01-01
Abstract
Introduction: The literature shows that women who conceived after in vitro fertilization (IVF) are emotionally vulnerable (Brandon, Pitts, Denton, Stringer and Evans, 2009); they reveal high level of anxiety compared with women with naturally achieved pregnancy (Sharon, Covington and Hammer-Burns, 2006). The level of anxiety increases in relation to the number of IVF treatment cycles; it seem to be related to the welfare of the child and the fear of being separated from him. Aims and Hipothesis: Aims of this study are to compare prenatal attachment and level of anxiety among IVF women and women who conceived naturally, and to identify predictors of attachment during pregnancy. We hypothesize: a) the presence of positive correlation between level of anxiety and maternal-fetal attachment in both groups; b) the absence of a relationship between maternal age, waiting time to conception and MFA in control group; c) the existence of a relationship between gestational age, waiting time to conception, fear of not being pregnant and MFA in study group. Method: The sample is made up of : a) Control group of 48 women, aged between 18 and 41 years, assessed in gestational weeks between 24 to 37; b) Study group of 43 women aged between 21 and 42 years in gestational weeks between 23 to 37. They completed: Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale (Cranley, 1981) to measure the maternal-fetal attachment during pregnancy; State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, Gorusch and Lushene, 1970) for the assessment of anxiety. In addition they completed a questionnaire constructed ad hoc to collect data on sociodemographic information: age, gestational age, waiting time to conception, fear of not being pregnant, high-risk pregnancy, number of treatment cycles, type of technique and presence of other children. Results: The results show that the fear of not getting pregnant is positively correlated with age in both groups. In the study group, the Manova shows that the interaction between gestational age and chronological age influences the state anxiety; the relationship between high-risk pregnancy and the waiting period influences the level of MFAS, the state anxiety and the trait anxiety. IVF women differ from controls on the following variables: fear of not getting pregnant and level of MFAS.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
