Association Between Preventive Behaviour and Anxiety at the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Slovenia.

INTRODUCTION: The first large outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in Europe occurred in Northern Italy in February 2020. The relatively fast spread of the infection to Slovenia was expected, and preventive measures for its suppression were widely discussed. METHODS: An online questionnaire was designed to evaluate adherence to preventive measures and the extent to which the taking of preventive measures was associated with people's anxiety level, psychological burden, their perceived vulnerability to disease, germ aversion and a number of demographic characteristics in the early stage of Covid-19 spread. The survey was active for 24 hours (13-14 March 2020). There were 12,307 responses and 7,764 questionnaires were completed in full. RESULTS: Higher preventive behaviour was found in individuals who experienced greater psychological distress, were more anxious, and expressed greater perceived infectability and germ aversion. Greater compliance with preventive behaviour was found among women, those sharing a household with people aged over 65, the elderly and those who knew somebody who had been infected. These groups also showed higher anxiety levels, which appeared to be significantly increased in general as a result of the specific situation. Quarantine was evaluated as the most efficient preventive measure, and was respected relatively strictly even before it became an officially announced protective measure. CONCLUSION: This research reveals a strong association between preventive behaviour and anxiety. Anxiety, together with social distancing, may affect physical and psychological health in the population in the long term. Other aspects of public health might therefore be influenced by the measures currently being enforced to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

Quantitative and qualitative assessment of maternal sexuality during pregnancy.

Objective To investigate the quantitative and qualitative measures of the complex relationship between sexuality and the pregnant state. Methods An anonymous questionnaire [comprising the Female Sexual Function Index questionnaire, the Evaluation and Nurturing Relationship Issues, Communication and Happiness (ENRICH) Marital Satisfaction Scale, scale of attitudes toward sexuality, the World Health Organization (WHO) Well-Being Index and the scale of body image] was given to 243 women during antenatal classes. Results We evaluated 200 primiparous women, with an average age of 30.5 years (range 21-44), at an average gestational age of 31.6 weeks (range 19-38). We found that sexual intercourse during pregnancy is less frequent and less satisfying compared to the pre-pregnancy period. Sexuality or certain aspects of sexuality (arousal and satisfaction with sexuality) are associated with the fear of hurting the fetus, satisfaction with intimate partner relationship, general attitude toward sexuality, physical self-image and general well-being. Women who are more satisfied with their intimate partner relationship are also more satisfied with their sexuality. Conclusion Sexuality and sexual well-being during pregnancy are associated with the fear of hurting the fetus, satisfaction with intimate partner relationship, attitude toward sexuality, physical self-image and general well-being.

The Role of Health Services in Encouraging Disclosure of Violence Against Women.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the survey was to assess the differences in disclosure by the type of violence to better plan the role of health services in identifying and disclosing violence. METHODS: A validated, anonymous screening questionnaire (NorAQ) for the identification of female victims of violence was offered to all postpartum women at a single maternity unit over a three-month period in 2014. Response rate was 80% (1018 respondents). Chi square test was used for statistical analysis (p<0.05 significant). RESULTS: There are differences in disclosure by type of violence. Nearly half (41.5%) of violence by health care services was not reported, compared to 33.7% physical, 23.4% psychological, and 32.5% sexual that was reported. The percentage of violence in intimate partnership reported to health care staff is low (9.3% to 20.8%), but almost half of the violence experienced by heath care services (44%) is reported. Intimate partnership violence is more often reported to the physician than to the psychologist or social worker. Violence in health care service is reported also to nurses. CONCLUSIONS: Disclosure enables various institutions to start with the procedures aimed at protecting victims against violence. Health workers should continuously encourage women to speak about violence rather than asking about it only once. It is also important that such inquiries are made on different levels of health care system and by different health care professions, since there are differences to whom women are willing to disclose violence.