ABSTRACT
Late preterm birth, a rapidly growing segment of premature deliveries, has the potential to cause deleterious effects on women's psycho-emotional experience of labor and the establishment of successful lactation. We compared personality traits by the Lüscher Color Test, the mother-to-infant bonding attitudes by the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS) and lactation outcome, between mothers of late preterm and at term infants. Our results indicated that mothers idealize their condition and wish to enjoy this magic and extraordinary time in spite of feeling stressed. However, late preterm mothers feel too sad and distressed to relax in their own space after the premature birth event. In addition, their total MIBS score (mean ± SD) was significantly higher (1.364 versus 0.581; p 0.026), as related subscales: Dislike (p 0.005) and Disappointed (p 0.012). Finally, they significantly reduced breastfeeding rates from discharge (p < 0.0001), to the first (p < 0.001), the third (p = 0.002) and sixth postnatal month (p = 0.0002). We concluded that there is a relation between unconscious deep stress along with bonding limits of late preterm new mothers and impaired breastfeeding initiation and duration.
Subject(s)
Breast Feeding/psychology , Infant, Premature , Lactation/psychology , Mothers/psychology , Personality/physiology , Term Birth , Adult , Case-Control Studies , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Infant, Premature/psychology , Milk, Human , Object Attachment , Parent-Child Relations , Pregnancy , Term Birth/psychologyABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of the Lüscher color test (LCT), a psychological instrument based on theory that colors are selected in unconscious way and that the color sensory perception of color is objective and universal. The research has involved 24 Ethiopian women, which delivered at the Getche Health Center in Gurage. It seemed to be relevant for the majority of Ethiopian women identify the rejected color (58.66%), the gray, than the favorite color, the yellow 33.33%). The yellow color suggests that they better express their personality in a physical context, while the gray color indicates that they want to live this experience intensely. This exploratory work lays the foundations for further studies in disadvantaged women, both in developing low-income Countries as well as in industrialized Countries characterized by an high level of emigration, and for clinical applications by the complete LCT version.
Subject(s)
Color Perception , Patient Preference , Personality Tests , Postpartum Period/psychology , Unconscious, Psychology , Adult , Black People , Choice Behavior , Color , Developing Countries , Ethiopia , Feasibility Studies , Female , Humans , Pregnancy , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate unconscious dynamics in women pregnant with twins, using Lüscher's color test to objectively measure subjective color preferences, and compare them with women with singleton pregnancies. METHODS: The color test was administered to 50 Italian women with twin pregnancies and 100 women with singleton pregnancies. RESULTS: Both the twin and singleton pregnancy groups said that violet was their favorite color (50 versus 49%) and brown was their least favorite color (52 versus 44%), indicating that they idealized being pregnant, but also found it physically stressful. The twin pregnancy group chose yellow as their second favorite (28 versus 17%) and were most likely to combine it with their first choice of violet (44 versus 19%, p=0.0006), indicating that they were worried about their relationships with their new babies and wanted to give birth soon. In addition, both groups preferred form 6, the sine curve on a dark background, but rejected the associated brown color 6, revealing that the women felt the need to look after themselves. CONCLUSIONS: Both groups idealized being pregnant, but also found it physically stressful. However, the twin pregnancy group was afraid of building relationships with their babies and wanted to give birth soon.
