engleski

Maternal fears and anxiety before and after invasive and non-invasive prenatal diagnostic procedures

Objectives: (1) to examine anxiety before prenatal diagnostic procedures in regard to fear of procedure and fear of abnormal result in women undergoing amniocentesis (invasive) and ultrasound (non-invasive) procedures ; (2) to examine the change in state anxiety before and after the procedures. Methods: A short-term follow-up study was conducted on a sample of pregnant women in the second trimester. Questionnaires were administered to women scheduled for amniocentesis (n=37) and ultrasonography (n=37) before and immediately after the procedure. The following questionnaires were administered: the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Prenatal Diagnostic Procedure Anxiety Scale (PDPAS) that measures fear of procedure and fear of abnormal result. Results: The analysis of the PDPAS score showed that fear of procedure was higher in the amniocentesis group, while fear of abnormal result was equally present in both amniocentesis and ultrasound groups. Prior to the administration of the prenatal diagnostic procedure, state anxiety levels were the same in both groups of women. An interaction effect of a two-way ANOVA revealed that anxiety decreased after the procedure in the ultrasound but not the amniocentesis group. Conclusion: Fear of abnormal result is present in women undergoing both amniocentesis and ultrasound. Anxiety levels associated with non-invasive, but not after invasive, prenatal diagnostics tests decrease immediately following the procedure.

amniocentesis; ultrasound; anxiety; fears; pregnancy

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