Depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among Jordanian midwives: A hospital-based study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in Jordanian midwives and identify associated factors. DESIGN: Setting and participants: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 321 registered midwives from 18 public hospitals in Jordan that provide antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum care, and family planning services. The survey included the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and demographic and professional data forms. FINDINGS: High rates of depression (76.2%); anxiety (85.3%) and stress (66.8%) symptoms were reported among midwives in Jordan. Midwives aged between 22 - 30 years reported more depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms than midwives in the other age groups. Married midwives had higher depression symptoms than single midwives. Midwives with < 10 years in practice had higher depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms compared to midwives with ≥ 10 years in practice. Midwives providing care for > 10 women per shift had higher anxiety and stress symptoms than midwives caring for five or less women per shift. Midwives who rotated between shifts had higher depression and stress symptoms than midwives who did not rotate. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms reported by Jordanian midwives were higher than rates reported by midwives in other countries. The high rates of distress highlight the urgent need for national strategies to support the emotional wellbeing and retention of midwives within Jordanian settings.

Informative title: Effects of social support, parenting stress and self-efficacy on postpartum depression among adolescent mothers in Jordan.

AIM AND OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effects of social support, parenting stress and maternal self-efficacy on postpartum depression among adolescent mothers in Jordan. BACKGROUND: Adolescent pregnancy may have serious health, social and economic consequences for young women, families and communities. In Jordan, the incidence of adolescent pregnancy has increased from 5% in 2012 to 15% in 2018. Little attention has been given to postpartum depression among adolescent mothers in Arab and Middle Eastern countries. METHOD: In a cross-sectional design using convenience sampling, 200 women aged less than 20 years, six to eight weeks postpartum and who could speak and read Arabic were interviewed in a participating health clinic. The interview occurred before or after a woman's scheduled clinic appointment and included socio-demographic data, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Maternity Social Support Scale (MSSS), Parenting Stress Scale (PSS) and Perceived Self-efficacy Scale (PSES). Data collection took place between December of 2018 and April of 2019. Reporting followed the STROBE guidelines. RESULTS: Results revealed that 28.5% of adolescent mothers had probable postpartum depression. Mothers who reported high social support, high parenting stress, low self-efficacy, financial stress and marital conflict had significantly higher EPDS scores than those who did not report these stressors. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of postpartum depression reported in this study warrants immediate action on early assessment, detection and intervention. High levels of social support may feel overwhelming for young mothers and contribute to high parenting stress, low maternal self-efficacy and marital conflict. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Adolescent mothers are at increased risk of PPD compared to mothers over 20 years of age. Perceived quality rather than availability of social support needs to be considered. Young mothers require education and early intervention prevention strategies to better prepared them for motherhood and manage stressors associated with their changing social role.

Oral Sucrose for Neonatal Pain: Perception of Jordanian Nurses.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal pain management using sucrose has been an established practice in Western countries. However, in the developing world, the practice is still not widely accepted. Neonatal nurses' perceptions about the neonatal pain experience and efficacy of oral sucrose may influence that decision. PURPOSE: To investigate Jordanian neonatal nurses' perceptions about the use of oral sucrose for neonatal pain. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used to collect data from 191 neonatal nurses working in 3 different hospital settings in northern and middle central Jordan. MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLES: Knowledge and perception of Jordanian nurses about neonatal pain and oral sucrose and their relationship to demographic variables. RESULTS: More than half of nurses had knowledge deficit about pain management. Fifty-five percent of the nurses had a positive perception toward pain assessment tools, and the majority indicated positive opinion toward oral sucrose usage. Demographic factors can impact their perceptions.

Postpartum depression symptoms among Syrian refugee women living in Jordan.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is recognized as a common maternal health problem, but few studies have investigated the postpartum mental health of refugee women. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the prevalence of PPD symptoms and associated factors among Syrian refugee women living in north Jordan. Women (N = 365) were recruited from four health care centers in Ramtha and Jarash, cities in northern Jordan. Participants completed a demographic data form, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the Maternal Social Support Scale at 6-8 weeks postpartum. Half (49.6%; n = 181) of the Syrian refugee women scored >12 on the EPDS. PPD symptoms were significantly associated with low social support, low monthly income, and recent immigration (less than 2 years). There is a high level of PPD symptoms among Syrian refugee women, many of whom are living in poverty and with limited social support. The results highlight the need for immediate action by governments to support childbearing refugee women with early screening for psychosocial risk and respond to women's physical and mental health, and social needs through interservice collaboration. Social support programs would meet an important need for these women, as would ongoing assessment by health professionals and early intervention for women who screen positive for PPD.

Postpartum evaluation of vitamin D among a sample of Jordanian women.

The aims of this study were to explore the vitamin D status among a sample of Jordanian postpartum women and identify factors associated with vitamin D deficiency. A total of 171 postpartum women agreed to participate. Participants completed a questionnaire on factors related to vitamin D deficiency and provided a blood sample to assess their plasma vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels using DIA source Immuno-Assays S.A. ANALYSIS: The majority of women (76%, n = 130) had vitamin D deficiency and 24% (n = 41) of participants had vitamin D insufficiency. Factors associated with vitamin D deficiency were younger age (< 30 years), low education level, unemployment, multiparity, lactation, dress style, limited sunlight exposure, high BMI, dark skin colour and lack of multivitamin use. Vitamin D supplementation must be considered during pregnancy and lactation to prevent hypovitaminosis in both mother and baby.