ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Twin pregnancies are at increased physiological and psychosocial risks. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of major depression in twin pregnancies and correlate with stress and social support. METHOD: The study included 51 pregnant women under specialized prenatal care who were evaluated by a Portuguese version of the semi-structured questionnaire Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD) for Major Depression, and the Prenatal Psychosocial Profile (PPP) for evaluation of stress and social support. RESULTS: Major depression was found in 33.3% of pregnant women, and prevailing symptoms were fatigue or loss of energy (100%), insomnia or hypersomnia (82.4%), changes in appetite (82.4%), decreased interest in daily activities (82.4%), and psychomotor agitation or retardation (82.4%). Among pregnant women who were diagnosed depressive, 76.5% also had a high level of stress and 47.1% complained about lack of social support. Statistical significance was found when correlating depression with perception of negative aspects of having twins and belief in significant body changes during pregnancy (p = .005 and .03, respectively). Marital status, occupation, and pregnancy planning were not significantly associated with the diagnosis of depression. CONCLUSION: Major depression occurs in one-third of pregnant women expecting twins and is associated with higher levels of stress and lack of social support. A multidisciplinary approach in these cases is fundamental to minimize further risks and complications.
Subject(s)
Depressive Disorder, Major/epidemiology , Pregnancy Complications/epidemiology , Pregnancy, Twin/psychology , Social Support , Stress, Psychological/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Brazil/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Depressive Disorder, Major/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications/diagnosis , Prognosis , Prospective Studies , Stress, Psychological/diagnosis , Surveys and Questionnaires , Young AdultABSTRACT
Contexto: A Gestação Múltipla consiste na concepção de dois ou mais fetos simultaneamente, ocasionando riscos fisiológicos e psicossociais. Objetivo: Apresentar revisão bibliográfica sobre gestação múltipla. Método: Realizou-se pesquisa bibliográfica nas bases de dados Medline, Lilacs e Scielo com as palavras chaves gravidez múltipla, depressão, ansiedade, psicologia, estresse, apoio social e seus equivalentes em inglês entre os períodos de 1990 a 2009. Resultados: A gestação gemelar na vida da mulher consiste em um período de mudanças fisiológicas, emocionais e psicossociais ainda mais intensas do que em uma gestação de feto único. Foram encontrados descritos sentimentos de baixa autoestima, depressão, inadequação, estresse e angústia. Este estudo ganha importância, haja visto o aumento na incidência de gestações gemelares nas últimas décadas e na observação do impacto ao gerar filhos múltiplos em toda a vida da mulher, sua saúde mental e na constituição da família(AU)
Background: The multiple pregnancy consists in the conception of two or more fetuses simultaneously, taking to physiological and psychosocial risks. Objective: The objective of this article was to present a review of literature regarding multiple gestation. Method: A survey was conducted in the databases Medline,Lilacs and using the keywords multiple pregnancy, depression, anxiety, psychology, stress e social support and their equivalents in English among the periods of 1990 and 2009. Results: The multiple gestation consists in a period of physiologic, emotional and psychosocial changes even more intense than in a gestation of one fetus. Feelings of low self-esteem, depression, inadequacy, stress and anguish were found. This study became important due to the increase of multiple gestations incidence in the last few decades and also to the observation of impact of conceiving multiple children in womans ife, mental health and constitution of the family(AU)
