NEONATAL OUTCOME IMPACT IN PUERPERAL MOTHERS OF NEWBORNS WITH CONGENITAL ANOMALY

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify signs of stress in puerperal women arising from the coping process of gestation of a fetus with a congenital anomaly. This was a cross-sectional study developed at the fetal medicine outpatient clinic of the Federal University of São Paulo between January and April 2014. Two data collection instruments were used for this study: a questionnaire on sociodemographic identification and reproductive history, and the Revised Impact of Event Scale, which were applied to 24 puerperal women. Signs of stress were identified in 62.5% of the study subjects; of these, 41.7% gestated a non-viable fetus. In regard to the gestational period of diagnosis of the fetus, 75% of the women received diagnosis in the second trimester of pregnancy, and of the total number of subjects, 37.5% presented high likelihood of having post-traumatic stress disorder. Thus, early diagnosis enables higher quality care to pregnant women/couples/families, thereby encouraging postpartum development with less stress.

Keywords

• Congenital abnormalities
• Postpartum period
• Traumatic stress disorders
• Maternal-child nursing