Relationships between nausea and vomiting, perceived stress, social support, pregnancy planning, and psychosocial adaptation in a sample of mothers: A questionnaire survey

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Abstract

Background

Women worldwide experience pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting yet tolerate this significant prenatal stressor. The physical and emotional stress caused by pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting may influence maternal psychosocial adaptation yet few studies have examined these relationships.

Objectives

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between nausea and vomiting, perceived stress, social support and their ability to predict maternal psychosocial adaptation among Taiwanese women during early pregnancy.

Design

A correlational, cross-sectional research design.

Setting

Four prenatal clinics in Taiwan.

Participants

Women (n=243) who had completed the 6–16 week of gestation consented to participate.

Methods

Subjects completed four self-report questionnaires in additional to providing demographic data: Index of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (INVR), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL), and the Prenatal Self-Evaluation Questionnaire (PSEQ).

Results

Pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting was experienced in varying degrees by 188 (77.4%) women. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that 37.6% of the variance in maternal psychosocial adaptation was explained by the severity of nausea and vomiting, perceived stress, social support, and pregnancy planning.

Conclusions

Women at higher risk for poor maternal psychosocial adaptation have not planned their pregnancy and experience severe pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting. Severe pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting associated with high-perceived stress levels may be mediated by social support.

Section snippets

What is already known about the topic?

  • Qualitative research findings indicate that prenatal stress occurs with pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting (PRNV).

  • Social support is important for maternal psychosocial adaptation.

What this paper adds

  • Predictors of maternal psychosocial adaptation among Taiwanese women during early pregnancy include severity of nausea and vomiting, perceived stress, degree of social support, and pregnancy planning.

  • Women at high risk for poor maternal psychosocial adaption have not planned their pregnancy and experience severe PRNV.

  • Severe PRNV associated with high-perceived stress levels may be mediated by social support.

Methods

A correlational, cross-sectional research design with convenience sampling was used to recruit women from four hospital-based private prenatal clinics in southern Taiwan. Inclusion criteria required that the women be at least 18 years old, be in their 6–16 week of gestation, and have the ability to read and write Chinese. Based on the survey design, power analysis calculations indicated that 246 subjects were required to detect significance (95.0% confidence interval, power of .80) (Rosner, 2006

Results

Two hundred and fifty pregnant women were agreed to participate, however, only 243 returned complete research data, three less than required by power analysis calculations. The sample ranged from 18 to 41 years old (M=28.4, S.D.=4.3) with a mean pregnancy gestation of 11.6 weeks (S.D.=3.2). All of the women were married and half (n=126) were primigravida. A majority of the sample were employed (n=169, 69.5%) and were well educated. Forty-three percent (n=105) had completed high school and

Discussion and conclusions

Three predictor variables, severity of PRNV, perceived stress and social support, in addition to pregnancy planning explained more of the variance in maternal psychosocial adaptation than any single variable taken alone.

Rates and severity of nausea and vomiting among the pregnant Taiwanese women in the current study are similar to Jarnfelt-Samsioe et al. (1985) study of pregnant women in Sweden. In that study 50% of the pregnant women had mild nausea and vomiting; 33% had moderate symptoms and

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Lorraine Walker, Dr. Joy Penticuff, Dr. William Koch, Dr. Melanie Percy, and Dr. Kristen Montgomery for their inspiration, suggestions, and support in this study.

This is a correlational, cross-sectional study to examine the relationships between perceived stress, social support and maternal psychosocial adaptation and to explore the predictors of maternal psychosocial adaptation among Taiwanese women with nausea and vomiting during early pregnancy.

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