The psychological impact of Early Pregnancy Loss in Portugal: incidence and the effect on psychological morbidity
IntroductionWorldwide, up to a quarter of all recognized pregnancies result in Early Pregnancy Loss (EPL), also known as miscarriage. For many women, this is a traumatic experience that leads to persistent negative mental health responses. The most common morbidity reported in studies from different...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1188060/full |
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| author | Diana C. Gonçalves Mendes Diana C. Gonçalves Mendes Ana Fonseca Mónica S. Cameirão Mónica S. Cameirão |
| author_facet | Diana C. Gonçalves Mendes Diana C. Gonçalves Mendes Ana Fonseca Mónica S. Cameirão Mónica S. Cameirão |
| author_sort | Diana C. Gonçalves Mendes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionWorldwide, up to a quarter of all recognized pregnancies result in Early Pregnancy Loss (EPL), also known as miscarriage. For many women, this is a traumatic experience that leads to persistent negative mental health responses. The most common morbidity reported in studies from different countries is complicated grief, usually comorbid with depression, anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). To our best knowledge, no studies characterizing the psychological impact of EPL have been made in Portugal.MethodsAn online survey was conducted to evaluate clinical symptoms of perinatal grief, anxiety, depression, and PTSD in women who suffered a spontaneous loss within 20 weeks of gestation. Out of 1,015 women who answered this survey, 873 were considered eligible, and subsequently distributed in 7 groups according to the time passed between their loss and their participation in the study.ResultsThe proportion of women showing symptoms of all comorbidities was greater in those whose loss had happened within a month, and there was a significant gradual decrease over time in scores and proportions of clinical perinatal grief and PTSD. In terms of depression symptoms, scores dropped significantly in the group whose loss occurred 13–24 months before their participation but proportions oscillated without great changes in the other groups. Regarding anxiety, there were small oscillations, but there was no significant decrease of symptoms over time.DiscussionOverall, despite a general drop in scores for most morbidities over time, substantial proportions of women showed persistent symptoms of clinical morbidities 3 years or more after the loss. Therefore, it is essential to promote monitoring of possible complicated responses to the event, to provide appropriate and timely intervention to those women in need. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:53:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e17d68ae8a974ee2a55b47d9e1863c85 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:53:18Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-e17d68ae8a974ee2a55b47d9e1863c852023-06-22T09:40:39ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652023-06-011110.3389/fpubh.2023.11880601188060The psychological impact of Early Pregnancy Loss in Portugal: incidence and the effect on psychological morbidityDiana C. Gonçalves Mendes0Diana C. Gonçalves Mendes1Ana Fonseca2Mónica S. Cameirão3Mónica S. Cameirão4Faculdade de Ciências Exatas e da Engenharia & NOVA LINCS, Universidade da Madeira, Funchal, PortugalAgência Regional para o Desenvolvimento de Investigação, Tecnologia e Inovação (ARDITI), Funchal, PortugalUniversity of Coimbra, Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive and Behavioral Intervention, Coimbra, PortugalFaculdade de Ciências Exatas e da Engenharia & NOVA LINCS, Universidade da Madeira, Funchal, PortugalAgência Regional para o Desenvolvimento de Investigação, Tecnologia e Inovação (ARDITI), Funchal, PortugalIntroductionWorldwide, up to a quarter of all recognized pregnancies result in Early Pregnancy Loss (EPL), also known as miscarriage. For many women, this is a traumatic experience that leads to persistent negative mental health responses. The most common morbidity reported in studies from different countries is complicated grief, usually comorbid with depression, anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). To our best knowledge, no studies characterizing the psychological impact of EPL have been made in Portugal.MethodsAn online survey was conducted to evaluate clinical symptoms of perinatal grief, anxiety, depression, and PTSD in women who suffered a spontaneous loss within 20 weeks of gestation. Out of 1,015 women who answered this survey, 873 were considered eligible, and subsequently distributed in 7 groups according to the time passed between their loss and their participation in the study.ResultsThe proportion of women showing symptoms of all comorbidities was greater in those whose loss had happened within a month, and there was a significant gradual decrease over time in scores and proportions of clinical perinatal grief and PTSD. In terms of depression symptoms, scores dropped significantly in the group whose loss occurred 13–24 months before their participation but proportions oscillated without great changes in the other groups. Regarding anxiety, there were small oscillations, but there was no significant decrease of symptoms over time.DiscussionOverall, despite a general drop in scores for most morbidities over time, substantial proportions of women showed persistent symptoms of clinical morbidities 3 years or more after the loss. Therefore, it is essential to promote monitoring of possible complicated responses to the event, to provide appropriate and timely intervention to those women in need.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1188060/fullEarly Pregnancy Lossmiscarriageperinatal griefdepressionanxietyPTSD |
| spellingShingle | Diana C. Gonçalves Mendes Diana C. Gonçalves Mendes Ana Fonseca Mónica S. Cameirão Mónica S. Cameirão The psychological impact of Early Pregnancy Loss in Portugal: incidence and the effect on psychological morbidity Frontiers in Public Health Early Pregnancy Loss miscarriage perinatal grief depression anxiety PTSD |
| title | The psychological impact of Early Pregnancy Loss in Portugal: incidence and the effect on psychological morbidity |
| title_full | The psychological impact of Early Pregnancy Loss in Portugal: incidence and the effect on psychological morbidity |
| title_fullStr | The psychological impact of Early Pregnancy Loss in Portugal: incidence and the effect on psychological morbidity |
| title_full_unstemmed | The psychological impact of Early Pregnancy Loss in Portugal: incidence and the effect on psychological morbidity |
| title_short | The psychological impact of Early Pregnancy Loss in Portugal: incidence and the effect on psychological morbidity |
| title_sort | psychological impact of early pregnancy loss in portugal incidence and the effect on psychological morbidity |
| topic | Early Pregnancy Loss miscarriage perinatal grief depression anxiety PTSD |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1188060/full |
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