Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2009 Jul;127(4):185-9.
doi: 10.1590/s1516-31802009000400002.

Quality of life, depression and anxiety among pregnant women with previous adverse pregnancy outcomes

Evelyn Regina Couto  1 , Egle Couto, Bruna Vian, Zoraide Gregório, Marcelo Luis Nomura, Renata Zaccaria, Renato Passini Jr
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Quality of life, depression and anxiety among pregnant women with previous adverse pregnancy outcomes

Evelyn Regina Couto et al. Sao Paulo Med J. 2009 Jul.

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

Context and objective: Previous adverse pregnancy outcomes (recurrent spontaneous abortion, fetal death, preterm birth or early neonatal death) can affect the quality of life of pregnant women. The objective of this study was to compare the quality of life and the prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression among pregnant women with and without these antecedents.

Design and setting: An analytical cross-sectional study was performed in four settings (two high-risk and two low-risk prenatal clinics) in the city of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.

Methods: A total of 240 women were interviewed by a single investigator between the 18th and 24th weeks of gestation: 120 women with prior adverse pregnancy outcomes (group 1) and 120 women with no such history (group 2), matched according to their numbers of living children. Sociodemographic variables were collected and two questionnaires were used: the Short Form-36 quality-of-life questionnaire and the Depression and Anxiety Scale.

Results: The women in group 1 had lower scores in all the items on the quality-of-life questionnaire. Depression and anxiety were more frequent in group 1 (P < 0.0001). An inverse correlation was found between the Short Form-36 domains and anxiety and depression.

Conclusions: Women with histories of recurrent spontaneous abortion, fetal death, preterm birth or early neonatal death seem to have poorer quality of life and more symptoms of anxiety and depression during their subsequent pregnancy, compared with those without such antecedents.

CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO:: O antecedente de resultados gestacionais adversos (aborto espontâneo recorrente, óbito fetal, prematuridade ou óbito neonatal precoce) pode afetar a qualidade de vida das gestantes. O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar a qualidade de vida e a prevalência de sintomas de ansiedade e depressão em gestantes com e sem estes antecedentes.

TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL:: Um estudo transversal analítico foi realizado em quatro locais (duas clínicas de pré-natal de alto risco e duas de pré-natal de baixo risco), na cidade de Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil.

MÉTODOS:: Duzentas e quarenta mulheres foram entrevistadas por um único investigador entre 18 e 24 semanas de gestação: 120 tinham antecedentes gestacionais adversos (grupo 1) e 120 não tinham tal história (grupo 2), pareadas por número de filhos vivos. Variáveis sócio-demográficas foram coletadas e dois questionários foram usados: o de qualidade de vida (Questionário Short Form-36) e a Escala de Depressão e Ansiedade.

RESULTADOS:: As mulheres do grupo 1 obtiveram escores mais baixos em todos os itens do questionário de qualidade de vida. Depressão e ansiedade foram mais frequentes no grupo 1 (P < 0,0001). Foi encontrada uma correlação inversa entre os domínios do Short Form-36 e ansiedade e depressão.

CONCLUSÕES:: Mulheres com antecedente de aborto espontâneo recorrente, óbito fetal, prematuridade ou óbito neonatal precoce parecem ter pior qualidade de vida e mais sintomas de ansiedade e depressão durante a gestação subsequente quando comparadas com mulheres sem esses antecedentes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: Not declared

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Armstrong DS. Impact of prior perinatal loss on subsequent pregnancies. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2004;33(6):765–773. - PubMed
    1. Franche RL, Mikail SF. The impact of perinatal loss on adjustment to subsequent pregnancy. Soc Sci Med. 1999;48(11):1613–1623. - PubMed
    1. Horowitz M. Stress response syndromes. Character style and dynamic psychotherapy. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1974;31(6):768–781. - PubMed
    1. Mason S, Rowlands A. Post-traumatic stress disorder. J Accid Emerg Med. 1997;14(6):387–391. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Adeyemi A, Mosaku K, Ajenifuja O, Fatoye F, Makinde N, Ola B. Depressive symptoms in a sample of women following perinatal loss. J Natl Med Assoc. 2008;100(12):1463–1468. - PubMed

Publication types