The psychological portrait of pregnant women with several complications of multiple pregnancy

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Multiple pregnancies are high-risk pregnancies from both an obstetric and a psychological point of view.

AIM: The aim of this study was to identify the features of prenatal experiences of women carrying multiple pregnancies and to determine the influence of several complications of multiple pregnancy on prenatal experience.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved 80 individuals aged 19 to 43 years, at a gestational age of 21 to 39 weeks, carrying twins. The patients were divided into five groups by clinical diagnosis and were asked to complete psychodiagnostic questionnaire. The answers to the questions suggested both a quantitative assessment and a qualitative description of their experiences.

RESULTS: We revealed some differences between the study groups in the frequency of manifestations of different psychological elements of the mother’s gestational dominant. Some trends were also found for differences between the groups in terms of prenatal attachment rates. An analysis of pregnant women’s descriptions of their ideas about the unborn children and communication with them showed that there were qualitative differences between the groups in the following: ideas about the characters of the unborn children, actual thoughts about them and thoughts about them after delivery, and features of the mother’s communication with them in several emotional conditions. The data obtained allowed for describing the psychological portrait of pregnant women with several complications of multiple pregnancy.

CONCLUSIONS: Depending on the type of multiple pregnancy complications, there are specific psychological experiences associated with pregnancy, future maternity and an emotional bond with the unborn children. Moreover, these experiences influence the behavior of pregnant women and their communication with other people and medical staff.

Keywords

multiple pregnancy / pregnancy complications / prenatal attachment / attitude toward pregnancy / attitude toward the unborn child / medical staff communication

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RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Mikhaylov A.V., Zamanayeva Y.V.