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- Title
A Comprehensive and Longitudinal View of Pregnancy from the Perspective of the Couple, Maternal Mental Health and Fetal Growth.
- Authors
Çetindağ Karatlı, Safiye Kübra; Uğurlu, Mustafa; Keskin, Ahmet; Dağcıoğlu, Basri Furkan; Karakaş Uğurlu, Görkem; Karatlı, Salih
- Abstract
Objective: This study investigates the impact of both maternal psychopathological factors and adaptive psychological changes within the couple on fetal growth, emphasizing the importance of evaluating pregnancy from the perspectives of the couple, the mother, and the fetus collectively. A "couple" in this context refers to heterosexual partners engaged in the pregnancy process together, whether married or in a stable relationship. Methods: We included 189 pregnant women in their first trimester, tracking maternal depression, anxiety, body appreciation, prenatal attachment, and the couple's adjustment level across each trimester. Fetal growth parameters measured include biparietal diameter, femur length, humerus length, abdomen circumference, head circumference, β-HCG, and amniotic fluid levels, with relationships between these variables being modeled accordingly. Results: Our findings indicate stable levels of maternal depression, anxiety, body appreciation, and couple's adjustment throughout the pregnancy, with a significant increase in prenatal attachment levels in each subsequent trimester. Prenatal attachment in the first trimester and maternal depression levels in the second and third trimesters were found to directly influence fetal growth, while other variables exhibited indirect effects. Conclusions: Fetal growth is influenced by a myriad of biopsychosocial factors. Ensuring healthy pregnancy and fetal development necessitates close monitoring and support of the mother's adaptive psychological changes, early identification and treatment of potential psychopathologies, and maintenance of the psychosocial health of the couple. Significance: Although there are studies on the effects of maternal psychopathology on fetal growth, there are few studies that study the effects of adaptive psychological changes during pregnancy and the couple's relationship on fetal growth together with maternal psychopathology. With this study, it was understood that there was only a change in the prenatal attachment levels of the mother during pregnancy, there was no significant change in anxiety, depression, body appreciation and dyadic adjustment, but the mutual interactions of these factors during each trimester had important effects on fetal growth. For a healthy pregnancy and healthy fetal development, it is necessary to closely monitor and support the adaptive psychological changes of the mother, early recognition and appropriate treatment of possible psychopathologies, and the psychosocial health of the couple.
- Subjects
SEXUAL partners; PEARSON correlation (Statistics); MENTAL health; MATERNAL health services; T-test (Statistics); DATA analysis; SPOUSES; SECOND trimester of pregnancy; THIRD trimester of pregnancy; PSYCHOLOGICAL adaptation; ANXIETY; MANN Whitney U Test; CHI-squared test; LONGITUDINAL method; PSYCHOLOGY of mothers; ANALYSIS of variance; STATISTICS; FETAL development; PREGNANCY complications; FIRST trimester of pregnancy; AMNIOTIC liquid; PSYCHOLOGICAL tests; MENTAL depression; HUMERUS; BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL model
- Publication
Maternal & Child Health Journal, 2024, Vol 28, Issue 9, p1592
- ISSN
1092-7875
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10995-024-03953-z