Insomnia in pregnancy and factors related to insomnia.

This study aims to investigate insomnia experienced by pregnant women and factors associated with it. This study was designed as hospital-based, descriptive, and cross-sectional research. The participants were 486 people chosen with nonprobability random sampling method. The data were collected through Women's Health Initiative Insomnia Rating Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Interview Form. Insomnia prevalence in women participating in this study was found 52.2%. The results of logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of insomnia was 2.03 times higher for those in the third trimester than those in the first and second trimesters, 2.19 times higher for those 20 years old and over than younger ones, and 2.63 times higher for those who had depression syndrome than those who did not. Insomnia in pregnant women who participated in this study was found to be at high rates.

The prevalence of depression symptoms and influencing factors among perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted for the purpose of determining the prevalence of depression in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women and the factors that influence the development of depression. METHODS: A community-based sample of 685 women aged 45 to 59 years who were living in Malatya was recruited in this cross-sectional study. An information form that included questions on descriptive characteristics and lifestyle variables of cases, the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire, and the Beck Depression Inventory were administered to each woman in the sample. The data were collected through personal interviews with women at their home between February and May 2008. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 50.66 (4.15) years. The prevalence of depression symptoms among the perimenopausal and postmenopausal women was 41.8%. Of all women, 23.2% were premenopausal and 56.9% were postmenopausal. The logistic regression analysis revealed that depression symptom development was 1.8 times higher in the perimenopausal-postmenopausal period than in the premenopausal period, 3.6 times higher among those with an event history affecting life in a negative way than among those without, and 2.0 times higher among those with a body mass index of 25 kg/m or higher than among those with a body mass index of less than 25 kg/m. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high level of prevalence of depression symptoms in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.

Effects of sleep disturbance on the quality of life of Turkish menopausal women: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate sleep disturbances among menopausal women: their prevalence, risk factors for them and the quality of life of women who have them. DESIGN: A population-based sample of 887 Turkish women aged 45-59 years and living in Malatya was recruited in this cross-sectional descriptive study. The women were administered the Interview Form, which covers sociodemographic, health and lifestyle variables, as well as the Women's Health Initiative Insomnia Rating Scale, the Menopause Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory. RESULTS: The prevalence of sleep disturbance in this sample of menopausal women was 54%. Logistic regression models revealed that the risk of sleep disturbance was 2.4 times higher in the perimenopausal than in the premenopausal period, 1.7 times higher among those who received hormone therapy than among those who did not, 1.5 times higher among those with a physical disease than among those without, and 3.9 times higher among those with depression than among those without; an increase of one year in age was associated with a 5% increase in the prevalence of sleep disturbance. Average scores on the vasomotor, psychosocial, physical and sexual sub-scales of the Menopause Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire were significantly higher for women with sleep disturbance than for those without (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of sleep disturbance was found to be high among menopausal women. Initiatives aimed at reducing sleep disturbance should be added to menopausal care programmes in order to improve the quality of life of menopausal women.

Social support and symptoms of postpartum depression among new mothers in Eastern Turkey.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between symptoms of postpartum depression and social support in new mothers in a semi-rural province (Malatya) of Eastern Turkey. METHODS: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study. The study was conducted with a 12-item Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) questionnaire, a 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) questionnaire, and a 16-item demographic/obstetric questionnaire designed by the authors. 364 women who were between 6 to 48 weeks postpartum were included in the study. RESULTS: Symptoms of postpartum depression were negatively correlated with social support (-0.39, P = 0.000). The frequency of the prevalence of symptoms of postpartum depression was 33.2%. The study showed that EPDS mean score was related to several factors, including age, woman's education, woman's occupation, socioeconomic status of family, spouse's education, number of years married, parity, planned pregnancy, method of delivery, knowledge of infant care, sharing of problems with a close person, past psychiatric history and family support during the postnatal period in an Eastern province of Turkey. CONCLUSION: Symptoms of postpartum depression were negatively correlated among Turkish women living in the Malatya province of Eastern Turkey and were associated with the level of social support. The prevalence of postpartum depression was higher than in the published reports regarding most regions of Turkey, with the exception of Northeastern Turkey.

Women's douching practices and related attitudes in eastern Turkey.

AIM: Vaginal douching is a common hygiene practice for many women all over the world, but it is associated with several health risks. Little is known about the beliefs and attitudes that promote and maintain douching practices. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the status of vaginal douching practices of women in the Malatya province of eastern Turkey. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. A sample of 465 Muslim women was interviewed to ascertain the status of vaginal douching practices. All participants were between 15 and 49 years of age and all were married. Data were collected by using a questionnaire in the process of conducting face-to-face interviews in June 2004. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and logistic regression modeling. RESULTS: The present study revealed that the frequency of douching was 61.5% among women. The participants were frequently douching for feminine hygiene (47.6%). Vaginal douching practices were associated with several factors including education level (odds ratio [OR] = 1.991, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.154-3.434), family income (OR = 0.996, 95% CI = 0.994-0.998), marital age (OR = 0.402, 95% CI = 0.223-0.715), frequency of sexual intercourse (OR = 2.335, 95% CI = 1.532-3.554), and presence of genital syndromes/infections (OR = 1.813, 95% CI = 1.215-2.739). CONCLUSION: This study provides preliminary information about women's douching practices and attitudes in the Malatya region of Turkey. It may also provide information to health-care practitioners in their efforts to educate women on the adverse effects of vaginal douching.