Eclampsia or epilepsy? The intriguing experiences of pregnant women diagnosed with preeclampsia and eclampsia: A descriptive exploratory study.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of pregnant women who suffer the stressful effects of preeclampsia and eclampsia through pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum. Methods: A descriptive exploratory approach was adopted to gather in-depth data from women diagnosed with preeclampsia and eclampsia during pregnancy from February to March 2022. Purposive sampling was used to enlist 12 participants from a Municipal Hospital in the Ahafo region of Ghana. Data were analyzed thematically following Braun and Clark approach. Results: The study found that women had strong negative emotional reactions after being diagnosed with preeclampsia or eclampsia. They frequently felt guilty, angry, scared, in denial, or disbelief about their condition. Many women held mistaken beliefs about the diseases (they misconstrued eclampsia to be epilepsy) and isolated themselves, mainly because of false perceptions and stigma around their illness in the community. Participants expressed unfulfilled needs for informational and emotional support. The information they received about their condition was insufficient, contradictory, and confusing. Some women also felt pressured into having cesarean deliveries without enough discussion or say in the decision-making process. Conclusion: These findings reveal important psychosocial impacts of preeclampsia/eclampsia and gaps in condition-specific education and empathetic, patient-centered communication. Improving provider knowledge and counseling skills along with community awareness may help address these unmet needs among Ghanaian women facing this threat to maternal health.

Perceptions and attitudes of women in the perinatal period towards male midwives in a rural district of Ghana: a descriptive, exploratory qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: The study sought to explore the perceptions and attitudes of women in the perinatal period towards the reproductive health services of male midwives. DESIGN: The study adopted an in-depth exploratory descriptive design for data collection and themes extracted using thematic analysis. SETTING: Antenatal and postpartum units of two primary healthcare facilities in the Kwabre-East District of Ghana. PARTICIPANTS: 20 women in the perinatal period who were receiving antenatal care and delivery services from the facilities included in the study were recruited through purposive sampling. FINDINGS: Divergent views emerged among our participants regarding the acceptability and utilisation of perinatal services provided by male midwives. Some participants perceived male midwives as patient, supportive, caring, compassionate and skilful at their work while the negative attitude related to some participants perceiving their interactions with male midwives as an opportunity for sexual violation. Positive attitudes emanated from male midwives' empathetic behaviour, reception, privacy and confidentiality of information. Conversely, negative attitudes arose from a lack of awareness of the changing female gender domination in midwifery, fear and misconceptions. Finally, participants faced various challenges, rooted in culture, which impacted their acceptance of male midwifery services. CONCLUSIONS: Factors influencing participants' negative perceptions and attitudes towards male midwives were born out of culturally motivated and gender-sensitive stereotyping rather than male professional midwifery competencies. The study outcome provides the basis and the need for a community-based intervention to effect changes in the perception and attitude of women in the perinatal period towards male midwifery practice in the affected communities. Increasing awareness of the existence of male midwives in the communities would contribute to increasing acceptance and utilisation of their services among women in the perinatal period in Ghana.

Psychological correlates of COVID safety protocol adherence among university students.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a global concern. Reports of insidious asymptomatic variants of the virus raise concerns about the safety of huge numbers of students on university campuses. Objective: The study aimed to delineate psychological correlates for students' adherence to safety protocols for appropriate context-specific coping intervention designs. Setting & Design: 751 students from the various colleges of the KNUST were conveniently sampled for this cross-sectional survey. Measures: Psychological instruments with good psychometric properties (DASS-21; Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Perceived Control Scales) were used in addition to demographics and questions on COVID safety protocol adherence. Results: Self-esteem positively correlated with perceived control (r = 0.40, p<0.001) and COVID adherence (r = 0.16, p<0.001); but negatively correlated with psychological distress (r = -0.44 p<0.001). Greater perceived control was associated with lower psychological distress (r = -0.20 p<0.001) and greater adherence to safety protocols (r = 0.24 p<0.001). Protocol adherence was regressed on psychological distress, self-esteem, and perceived control to determine any significant prediction. All the variables accounted for 7% of the variance in COVID protocol adherence (R2 = 0.07, F (3, 661) =17.29, p<0.001) with perceived control significantly predicting adherence to COVID safety protocol (B = 0.11, ß=0.23, t=5.54 p<0.001). Conclusion: Results indicated that perceived control over important life events and healthy self-esteem would likely facilitate adherence to COVID safety protocols and attenuate psychological distress. Implications for further research and design of appropriate COVID coping response interventions are discussed. Funding: Internally generated.

Psychological correlates of COVID safety protocol adherence among university students

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a global concern. Reports of insidious asymptomatic variants of the virus raise concerns about the safety of huge numbers of students on university campuses. Objective: The study aimed to delineate psychological correlates for students' adherence to safety protocols for appropriate context-specific coping intervention designs. Setting & Design: 751 students from the various colleges of the KNUST were conveniently sampled for this crosssectional survey. Measures: Psychological instruments with good psychometric properties (DASS-21; Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Perceived Control Scales) were used in addition to demographics and questions on COVID safety protocol adherence. Results: Self-esteem positively correlated with perceived control (r = 0.40, p<0.001) and COVID adherence (r = 0.16, p<0.001); but negatively correlated with psychological distress (r = -0.44 p<0.001). Greater perceived control was associated with lower psychological distress (r = -0.20 p<0.001) and greater adherence to safety protocols (r = 0.24 p<0.001). Protocol adherence was regressed on psychological distress, self-esteem, and perceived control to determine any significant prediction. All the variables accounted for 7% of the variance in COVID protocol adherence (R2 = 0.07, F (3, 661) =17.29, p<0.001) with perceived control significantly predicting adherence to COVID safety protocol (B = 0.11, ß=0.23, t=5.54 p<0.001). Conclusion: Results indicated that perceived control over important life events and healthy self-esteem would likely facilitate adherence to COVID safety protocols and attenuate psychological distress. Implications for further research and design of appropriate COVID coping response interventions are discussed

Quality of life among Ghanaian adolescents living with perinatally acquired HIV: a mixed methods study.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, increasing numbers of children with perinatally acquired HIV (PAHIV) are living into adolescence. These adolescents face numerous unique challenges such as parent illness/death and years of medication use. Optimizing care for these youth requires an understanding of the factors that contribute to physical health, psychological well-being, social relationships, and quality of life (QOL). This mixed methods study collected quantitative questionnaire data from 40 Ghanaian adolescents with PAHIV (50% female, 12-19 years old) who received care through an adolescent HIV clinic in Kumasi, Ghana. The study also presents results from qualitative interviews conducted with 20 adolescents. Results from quantitative analyses suggested that a significant number of participants were not virally suppressed (67%) and participants reported barriers to treatment adherence, limited social support, concerns about disclosure and HIV-related stigma, limited resources, and lower than expected QOL. Salient themes from the qualitative analyses included limited understanding of how HIV is transmitted, the interplay between food insecurity and treatment adherence and the need for developing safe relationships through which adolescents can discuss their illness without fear of accidental disclosure of their HIV status.

Hyperreactio luteinalis in pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of hyperreactio luteinalis diagnosed in pregnancy. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Teaching hospital. PATIENT(S): A 30-year-old primigravida presenting with painful multicystic ovarian enlargement and subsequent virilizing features. INTERVENTION(S): Conservative management. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Successful pregnancy resulting in the live birth of a female infant with no gross abnormalities. RESULT(S): On investigation, she developed elevated serum androgen levels and had sonographically the characteristic "spoke wheel" appearance of hyperreactio luteinalis. The patient was managed symptomatically with normal outcomes and a return postnatally to before pregnancy features. CONCLUSION(S): An uncommon clinical presentation in obstetrics in which conservative management can result in good outcomes.