[Study of the relations between the pain of childbirth and postpartum, and depressive and traumatic symptoms]. / Étude des relations entre la douleur de l'accouchement et du post-partum, et les symptômes dépressifs et traumatiques.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine the incidence of pain in childbirth and postpartum on depressive and post-traumatic symptomatology 6weeks after delivery. METHODS: One hundred and nine women who gave birth in maternity hospitals of type 2$participated in the study. Two to four days after delivery they have completed five self-administered questionnaires to assess pain of childbirth (QDSA), dramatization of pain (PCS-CF), satisfaction of childbirth (CEQ), peri-traumatic distress (IDP) and depressive symptoms (EPDS) and visual analogue scales to measure immediate postnatal pain. Six weeks after birth they have again completed questionnaires to measure pain (QDSA and visual analogue scales) and depressive symptoms (EPDS) and a scale measuring posttraumatic symptomatology (IES-R). RESULTS: The pain of childbirth and immediate postpartum was associated with depressive (r=0.27 and r=0.31 respectively) and traumatic symptomatology (r=0.30 and r=0.34 respectively) in postpartum. Regression analysis, however, revealed that only the depressive symptomatology and the affective dimension of postpartum pain at six weeks post-partum was related to post-traumatic stress. CONCLUSION: The results of this study highlight the importance to support the pain of childbirth but also the pain occurring in the postpartum period.

Maternal burn-out: an exploratory study.

INTRODUCTION: Maternal burn-out is a psychological, emotional and physiological condition resulting from the accumulation of various stressors characterised by a moderate but also a chronic and repetitive dimension. Little research has focused on this syndrome. OBJECTIVE: The current study aims to assess maternal burn-out rate and to identify factors associated with this state of exhaustion. METHOD: 263 French mothers aged between 20 and 49 years answered five scales quantifying maternal burn-out, perceived social support, parental stress, depression and anxiety symptoms and history of postnatal depression. RESULTS: About 20% of mothers were affected by maternal burn-out. The main factors related to maternal burn-out were having a child perceived as difficult, history of postnatal depression, anxiety, satisfaction of a balance between professional and personal life and parental stress. CONCLUSION: This research shows the need for further work on maternal burn-out to better understand and prevent this syndrome.

[Corporal image and pregnancy: A look at psychometric properties of the French translation of the Pregnancy and Weigh Gain Attitude Scale]. / Image corporelle et grossesse : examen des propriétés psychométriques de la traduction française de la Pregnancy and Weight Gain Attitude Scale (PWGAS).

BACKGROUND: Body dissatisfaction among pregnant women can provoke behaviors to control weight gain and make them more vulnerable to eating disorders. Body dissatisfaction and strategies to control weight during pregnancy can have many consequences for both the mother and baby. Excessive weight gain may cause complications during childbirth and, reciprocally, a too weak weight gain could be associated with the risk of having a baby with a very low birth weight. Thus, it appears important to have a tool to detect these body image disorders in this population. As far as we know, no French-speaking tool exists, and the objective of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the French translation of the Pregnancy and Weight Gain Attitude Scale (PWGAS), which assesses the attitudes about weight gain during pregnancy. METHOD: The sample consisted of 553 women (29.32±4.82 years) in their third trimester of pregnancy. Participants were volunteer women recruited in hospitals during obstetric consultation. All participants completed an anamnestic questionnaire, the PWGAS and a questionnaire assessing body dissatisfaction (Body Shape Questionnaire [BSQ]). The PWGAS, in its original version, includes 18 items and consists of four subscales: Positive Pregnancy Body Image; Negative Pregnancy Body Image; Indifference toward Weight Gain and Weight Gain Restrictive Behaviors. The instrument was translated and verified by expert translators. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis of the original version showed fit indices below recommended limits. An exploratory factor analysis on the PWGAS revealed the existence of five factors: "Fear about weight gain" (4 items); "Absence of weight gain preoccupation" (2 items); "Positive attitudes about weight gain" (4 items); "Feeling overwhelmed by weight gain" (3 items); and "Control over weight gain" (3 items). The goodness-of-fit of the five-factor model was satisfactory. The PWGAS (total and factors) is negatively correlated with the BSQ demonstrating its concurrent validity. CONCLUSION: The PWGAS has satisfactory psychometric properties. This questionnaire could certainly be integrated in the monitoring of pregnant women in order to detect and guide those who show negative attitudes about the weight gain so that they can benefit from adequate care and prevent the development of eating disorders.

[Psychology and pregnancy loss]. / Psychologie et perte de grossesse.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between psychology and pregnancy loss. METHODS: A literature review was conducted by consulting Medline until April 2014. RESULTS: Psychological factors appear to be significantly associated with the risk of recurrent miscarriage. Depression and anxiety are common symptoms after miscarriage. A return to normal scores of depression and anxiety is frequently found in one year. A systematic psychological treatment after an episode of miscarriage seems to not bring obvious benefits, one year after a miscarriage, in terms of anxiety and depression. After a stillbirth, psychological impacts on the couple, such as anxiety and depressive symptoms, are common. An empathetic and respectful attitude of all medical and paramedical team at the support is associated with better psychological experience. CONCLUSION: After a pregnancy loss, psychological consequences are common and usually reversible. An attitude of empathy is desirable in order to accompany patients and to consider a future pregnancy.

[Premature delivery: a traumatic birth? Posttraumatic stress symptoms and associated features]. / L'accouchement prématuré : une naissance traumatique ? Symptômes de stress posttraumatique et variables associées.

OBJECTIVES: While researches focusing on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms following childbirth tend to develop, few studies have been conducted on French samples. The aim of the current study was to explore the prevalence rate of women developing postpartum PTSD following preterm birth and highlighting associated features. PATIENTS AND METHOD: In the 4weeks following the preterm infant's hospital discharge, a sample of 110 French women (mean age [SD]=29.5 [4.3]years) who delivered prematurely completed questionnaires assessing PTSD symptoms (Impact of Event Scale-Revised) postpartum depressive symptomatology (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale), quality of marital relationship (Dyadic Adjustment Scale) and partner support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support). Sociodemographic and gynecologic data were also gathered. RESULTS: Thirty percent of our sample reported a score on the IES-R highlighting a probable posttraumatic stress disorder. Increased postpartum depressive symptoms (ß=0.47, P<0.05), having undergone a caesarian section (ß=0.24, P<0.05), and prior traumatic event (ß=0.20, P<0.05), were independently associated with the intensity of PTSD symptoms. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Given the traumatic impact of preterm birth on mothers, further studies focusing on the trauma of premature delivery are warranted.

[Women's motivations to give birth with or without epidural analgesia]. / Les motivations des femmes pour accoucher avec ou sans analgésie péridurale.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to question pregnant women about motivations to give birth with and without epidural analgesia, and about their perceptions of childbirth and pain. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred and fourteen pregnant women completed questionnaires measuring their wish of an epidural analgesia, pain experienced during a childbirth, general anxiety, their perception of a childbirth and then motivations of a woman to give birth with and without epidural analgesia. RESULTS: Women gave more motivations to give birth with an epidural analgesia. Differences were found concerning pain evaluation and childbirth perceptions depending on the fact that women wanted or not wanted an epidural analgesia. CONCLUSION: Various motivations and differences between women observed in this study show the necessity to take into account wishes and expectancies of the women concerning childbirth pain relief.

[Validation of the French version of the Maternal Self-report Inventory (short form)]. / Étude de validation française de la version courte du Maternal Self-report Inventory.

BACKGROUND: Self-esteem is defined as the opinion of one's self that one establishes and maintains during the lifetime. Self-esteem is considered to be based on general as well as specific elements that define the individual's identity. Whereas overall self-esteem evolves over the lifespan, specific elements change regularly and thus have an impact on these specific types of self-esteem. Maternity is a central defining element of a woman's life, and it is believed that a woman can develop a specific self-esteem based on her experience of motherhood. Many studies have shown how overall self-esteem is affected during the perinatal period, and the relationship between self-esteem and other variables, notably post-partum depression. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to translate, evaluate, and validate the short version of the Maternal Self-Esteem Inventory (MSI, Shea & Tronick in 1988) for use in French populations. The MSI short form is a 26-item questionnaire using a Likert response format in five points. METHOD: The sample was composed of 251 French female participants (mean age 30; SD=4.52) who had given birth two days earlier. Participants completed the MSI and the Edinburgh Post-natal Depression Scale (EDPS). RESULTS: The results of a factorial analysis showed five factors which partially correspond to the original English version of the MSI short form. These five factors were negatively correlated to the EPDS. The five factors showed good to excellent internal consistency. CONCLUSIONS: The current study provides a translated and validated version of the MSI short form in French. It provides a specific indicator of self-esteem with regards to motherhood and the experience of maternity. The MSI can provide useful data that can help identify women at risk for negative feelings about themselves, which can lead later to manifestations of perinatal psychopathology (e.g, post-partum depression).

[Effect of paternity leave on maternal postpartum depression]. / Effets du congé de paternité sur la dépression du post-partum maternelle.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore the role of the paternity leave in the appearance of the maternal postpartum depression. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-one couples took part in the whole study. Between the second and the fifth day after the childbirth, the mother completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), which measures the symptoms of depression and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) which measures the social support the mother has become. The father completed the EPDS. Two months and then the second time four months after the childbirth, the mother received the EPDS, the MSPSS, and questionnaires measuring the temperament of the baby, the maternal skills, the feeling of being a mother and the quality of life postpartum. In order to evaluate the paternal involvement, the father completed the EPDS and questions about paternal skills and involvement. RESULTS: The paternity leave seemed not to have any consequences on the results at the EPDS or other questionnaires. However, lack of paternal involvement was a significant predictor of the intensity of the depressive symptoms of the mothers. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: It is not the presence of the father wich seems important to take into account for detection and the traitement of postpatum depression but his participation in the care of the baby.

[Evaluation of the characteristics of addiction to online video games among adolescents and young adults]. / Évaluation des caractéristiques sociales, des stratégies de coping, de l'estime de soi et de la symptomatologie dépressive en relation avec la dépendance aux jeux vidéo en ligne chez les adolescents et les jeunes adultes.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study are to assess the social characteristics, coping strategies, self-esteem and depressive symptoms in a population-dependent and not dependent on video games online, in order to investigate the correlations existing between these characteristics. METHOD: The study was conducted among 193 subjects. Data were collected through a global questionnaire constituted of several scales. The global questionnaire consisted of a sociodemographic part (age, sex, social status, most played game, number of hours per week devoted to the game), a questionnaire assessing dependence and abuse according to the DSM -IV-TR, the feeling of social belonging scale (or ESAS which was doubled to collect information about the belonging in real life and virtual life), the Ways of coping check-list (WCCL), the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (EES), the Quality of interpersonal relations scale (EQRI), the UCLA Loneliness scale and the Center for epidemiologic studies depression scale (CES-D). The questionnaire was broadcasted on the Internet, specifically in the forums dedicated to "massively multiplayer online role-playing games" and in young people's forums in specific subject headings. RESULTS: The results show that there are significant differences between the two populations, especially regarding the social characteristics, depressive symptoms, self-esteem and coping strategies. In the entire population, 66 subjects (42%) were considered dependent on online video games and 92 subjects (58%) were not considered dependent. In the dependent population, the number of hours spent playing per week, the score of social belonging in the virtual life, the coping focused on the emotion, the score of loneliness or social isolation and the score obtained on the CES-D appeared more important than the scores obtained by the non-dependent. Moreover, the average age, the scores of social belonging in real life, self-esteem and sub-dimensions "family" and "friends" of the quality of interpersonal relations scale are lower than those obtained by the non-dependent. Furthermore, the number of hours of play per week, the feeling of social belonging, self-esteem, quality of family relationships and loneliness are predictive factors of addiction to video games online. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that one of the crucial issues in dependence is the monitoring of game practice. Indeed, dependence on video games is based on a real hardware that needs to be controlled and managed by a third party before the emergence of a dependency. Therefore the results of this study suggest the establishment of better prevention, especially among parents who are confronted in majority with a world and a technology that is unknown or too complicated. In the case of a proven addiction, the study proposes care therapy focused on the social link, especially the family link, and a particular care to work on self-esteem.

[The efficiency of a brief support intervention for anxiety, depression and stress after miscarriage]. / L'efficacité d'une brève intervention de soutien sur l'anxiété, la dépression, et le stress après une fausse couche.

OBJECTIVES: The object of this study is to create and put into place a psychological support intervention including three components (support, educational and cognitive) for women who have suffered a miscarriage. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred and thrity-four women participated in the study: 66 composed the "immediate intervention" group (II) and 68 the "differed intervention" (DI) group. All participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the Texas Grief Inventory (TGI) at 3 and 10 weeks as well as 6 months following study enrollment. RESULTS: Results at 3 weeks show a significant difference between the groups for both anxiety and event impact. CONCLUSION: In terms of prevention, the brief early intervention tested in this study appears to be particularly pertinent following miscarriage.

[Miscarriage and feelings of guilt: a qualitative study]. / Avortement spontané et culpabilité : une étude qualitative.

OBJECTIVES: Desptite medical and scientific advances in the field of obstetrics, psychological trauma following a miscarriage may result in feelings of guilt. The objective of this research was an in-depth examination of the different expressions of feelings of guilt, and the factors, which are associated, and their consequencies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-one semi-directive interviews were transcribed and analysed to study themes associated with guilt. RESULTS: About one third of women question themselves and interpret some level of personal responsibility for their miscarriage. Many women evoke psychological causes of miscarriage. In all cases, guilt is expressed more or less directly. The lack of medical explanations for miscarriage is particularly difficult for women. CONCLUSION: The results of the current study underline the importance for careful consideration of any expressed feelings of guilt by women experiencing miscarriage; increasing basic medical information and providing overall psychoeducational support can help women better understand their experience and perhaps avoid excessive feelings of responsibility.

[Pregnancy following anonymous oocyte donation: Experience and feelings]. / Appréhension et vécu d'une grossesse obtenue après un don d'ovocyte anonyme.

OBJECTIVES: This qualitative study focuses on feelings of women who receive an anonymous oocyte donation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A heterogeneous group of 12 women who were mothers or pregnant following a oocyte donation or who were waiting for a donation took part in the study. All women participated in a face to face or a telephone semi-directive interview. Questions dealt with desire for children, feelings about difficulties to have a child, place of the oocyte donor and position about revelation of origins. RESULTS: Several key ideas about the experience of oocyte donation can be brought out from the analysis of those interviews, particularly the psychological process implied in losing one's hope for a biological child, ambivalence towards donors, and questionings about this specific mode of conception. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Women's satisfaction when the project for having a child is brought to its completion, hides neither complexity nor psychological questionings entailed by the donation process which includes a third during the conception. This study underlines the need for psychological accompaniment.

[Contribution of dissociative symptoms to antisocial behavior in a sample of high-school students]. / Contributions des symptômes dissociatifs aux comportements antisociaux dans un échantillon d'adolescents scolarisés.

INTRODUCTION: The link between dissociative disorders and delinquent behavior has been reported in forensic and clinical adolescents. Despite the frequency of dissociative symptoms in nonclinical adolescents, the relation between dissociative disorders and antisocial behavior has not been studied in community samples of adolescents. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study is to investigate the relative contribution of dissociative symptoms and other psychopathological variables (depressive symptoms, borderline and psychopathic personality traits often reported to be associated with behavioral problems) to antisocial behavior in a sample of high-school students. METHOD: A sample of 130 participants (84 girls, 46 boys; mean age=16.9+/-1.2) completed self-report questionnaires, the adolescent-dissociative experience scale (A-DES), the center for epidemiological studies-depression scale (CES-D), the Levenson self-report psychopathy scale (LSRP), the scale of the personality disorder questionnaire (PDQ-4+) assessing the borderline personality traits, and the scale of the PDQ-4+ assessing antisocial behavior and antecedent of conduct disorder (aggression to people and animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness or theft, serious violations of rules) for the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. In the present study, the internal consistency of these scales was satisfactory or excellent as assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Regarding the A-DES, the CES-D, the borderline traits scale, the antisocial behavior scale, alphas were 0.94, 0.76, 0.78, and 0.91, respectively. The consistency of the LSRP scale assessing callousness (a callous, selfish, and manipulative use of others), which is considered as the core dimension of psychopathy was satisfactory (alpha=0.83), whereas the consistency of the scale assessing impulsivity was poor (alpha=0.49). This scale was not used in the present study. RESULTS: The comparison between boys and girls revealed the differences usually reported in studies on community samples of adolescents. Girls displayed higher scores on dissociative and depressive symptoms, and borderline traits. Boys had higher score on callousness. Among girls, dissociative symptoms were positively and moderately related to depressive symptoms (r=0.62, p<0.05), borderline traits [(r=0.62, p<.05), callousness (r=0.41, p<0.05). Among boys, these associations were weaker (depressive symptoms, (r=0.45, p<0.05); borderline traits, (r=0.47, p<0.05); callousness, (r=.24, NS)]. A multiple regression analysis predicting antisocial behavior with the psychopathological variables showed that sex was a significant predictor (p<0.01). The analysis was repeated for males and females separately. Among boys, the model explained a negligible fraction of the variance in antisocial behaviors (R(2)=0.12). No predictors were significant, perhaps because of the lack of power of this analysis (dissociative symptoms, beta=0.07, p=0.71; CES-D, beta=0.20, p=0.22; borderline traits, beta=0.19, p=0.30; callousness, beta=0.17, p=0.27). Among girls, the model explained a modest part of the variance (R(2)=0.30). Dissociative symptoms were the strongest predictor of antisocial behavior (beta=0.54, p<0.001). Depressive symptoms were significantly and negatively related to antisocial predictor (CES-D, beta=-0.36, p=0.006). Borderline traits (beta=0.08, p=0.54) and callousness (beta=0.18, p=0.009) were not significant predictors. DISCUSSION: As in other studies, antisocial behavior appeared more linked to psychopathological variables in girls than in boys. The most salient result was the influence of dissociative symptoms on antisocial behavior in girls contrary to boys. Three hypotheses may explain this link: dissociative symptoms may facilitate antisocial acting-outs; dissociation may be a defense against anger and affect dysregulation; antisocial behavior and dissociative symptoms may be linked to a third variable such as trauma antecedents. Whereas depressive symptoms were positively linked to antisocial behavior among boys, depressive symptoms were negatively and significantly linked to antisocial behavior among girls. Depressive symptoms may inhibit antisocial behavior in girls. The association between dissociative and depressive symptoms and antisocial behavior in girls warrants further studies.

[The primiparae couple's experience of childbirth: quantitative study]. / Vécu de l'accouchement par le couple primipare : étude quantitative.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research was to study childbirth experience for the primiparae couple and their emotional state in early post-partum. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-three couples were interviewed 2 days after the birth. A questionnaire on childbirth experience and the EPDS were carried out. RESULTS: According to the results, mothers feel less satisfied, less calm, more useful and suffer more than fathers. Moreover, they consider father's participation more active and more supportive than themselves assess it. Experience of childbirth is linked with parent's emotional state in early postpartum. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: These results stress the importance to take into account the woman, the men and the couple as three separate and singular units and to create space for dialogue before and after childbirth.

[The primiparae couple's experience of childbirth: qualitative study]. / Vécu de l'accouchement par le couple primipare : étude qualitative.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research was to study childbirth experience for the primiparae couple. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-three couples were interviewed two days after the birth in maternities. RESULTS: For mothers, the presence of their husbands is a support whereas men mentioned a feeling of helplessness. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: These results point out the need to accompany mothers and fathers during birth preparation to make this experience to be the most satisfying for both members of couple.

[The role of some psychological, psychosocial and obstetrical factors in the intensity of postpartum blues]. / Influence de certaines variables psychologiques, psychosociales et obstétricales sur l'intensité du baby blues.

AIM: Within days following birth, most women show signs of mood changes, commonly named baby blues. Baby blues can result in postpartum depression. Hence it appears important to explore in more details the clinical background related to the intensity of postpartum blues. The aim of this study is to investigate the contribution of psychological, psychosocial and obstetrical factors to the intensity of postpartum blues. METHOD: One hundred and forty-eight women participated in the study and completed questionnaires three days after delivery. A questionnaire was built to collect information on psychosocial and obstetrical factors. The Maternity Blues (Kennerley and Gath, 1989) was used to assess postpartum blues. Psychological factors were measured with the Maternal Self-Report Inventory (Shea et Tronick, 1988), the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, Kamarch et Mermelstein, 1983) and the Sarason's Social Support Questionnaire (1983). RESULTS: Four multiple regression analyses were conducted to predict the intensity of postpartum blues by entering psychosocial factors, history of depression, obstetrical factors and psychological and relational factors. Significant predictors (maternal self-esteem, marital status, previous psychotherapeutic treatment, previous antidepressant treatment) were entered in a multiple regression analysis predicting the intensity of postpartum blues. This model accounted for 31% of the variance in the intensity of postpartum blues (F(4, 143)=17.9; P<0.001). Maternal self-esteem (beta=-0.37; P<0.001), marital situation (beta=-0.16; P=0.02) were significant predictors. Previous antidepressant treatment (beta=0.13; P=0.05) was almost a significant predictor. CONCLUSION: The preventive implication of this study is important. Some psychological and psychosocial variables predicted the intensity of postpartum blues and may be used in order to detect women who exhibit risk factors.

[Psychological impact of miscarriage: a review]. / L'impact psychologique de la fausse couche: revue de travaux.

Miscarriage is a frequent but painful event for women. This review aims to underscore psychological morbidity after miscarriage and some characteristics liable to influence women's experience. Then, the last part of the article concerns importance of psychological counselling and different counselling interventions, which have been tested. This review has for objective to provide informations about psychological experience of miscarriage for practitioners and medical teams who take care of women.

[Women and the painful experience of therapeutic abortion]. / Les femmes face à la douloureuse expérience de l'interruption médicale de grossesse.

OBJECTIVE: When the antenatal diagnosis reveals a serious anomaly of the fetus, the couple can envisage a therapeutic abortion. This qualitative study aims to bring a better understanding of emotional impact and perinatal grief after a therapeutic abortion. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seven women who have had a therapeutic abortion participated in a semidirective interview. RESULTS: The analysis of the collected data reveals the psychological trauma caused by a therapeutic abortion, the significant distress of the mothers accentuated by omnipresent guilt feelings, persistent symptoms of depression and anxiety. Different reactions within the couple are perceived and can lead to marital conflict. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Results show a need for a psychological follow-up of the individual as well as the couple.

[Childbirth pain, perinatal dissociation and perinatal distress as predictors of posttraumatic stress symptoms]. / Douleur de l'accouchement, dissociation et détresse périnatales comme variables prédictives de symptômes de stress post-traumatique en post-partum.

OBJECTIVE: This prospective, longitudinal study investigated the contributive role of childbirth pain, perinatal distress and perinatal dissociation to the development of PTSD symptoms following childbirth. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred and seventeen women participated at the study. The first day after delivery they completed a questionnaire to evaluate pain, the peritraumatic distress inventory (PDI) and the peritraumatic dissociative experience questionnaire (PDEQ). Six weeks after birth, they completed the impact of event scale-revised (IES-R) to measure posttraumatic stress symptoms and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) to assess maternal depression. RESULTS: A multiple regression analysis revealed that only both components of perinatal distress, life-threat perception and dysphoric emotions were significant predictors of posttraumatic stress symptoms. In another multiple regression analysis predicting dysphoric emotions, affective dimension of pain was the only significant predictor. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Perinatal distress was the best predictor of posttraumatic stress symptoms. Dysphoric emotions were associated with affective dimension of pain, suggesting that women distressed by the childbirth pain would have higher risk to develop posttraumatic stress symptoms.

[A pilot study of prevention of postpartum blues]. / Prévention du blues du post-partum: étude pilote.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of providing information on postpartum blues during pregnancy on the intensity of the blues. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A convenient sample of 37 women agreed to participate in the study during the third trimester of pregnancy and were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first group received a short text of information, the second group received the text which was read and discussed and the third group was the control group. All the participants completed the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS) questionnaire during the period three to five days postpartum. RESULTS: Given the small number of participants in the three groups and the subsequent lack of power of the study, the magnitude of the differences between the means scores of the EPDS of the three groups was estimated using effect size (ES) and indicated a small to medium effect of providing information on the blues. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Despite the limitations of the study mainly linked to the small sample, this study suggests that providing information on postpartum blues during the third trimester of pregnancy may reduce the intensity of the depressive dimension of the blues symptomatology.