Modos de enfrentamento e apego materno-fetal em gestantes de alto risco: um estudo comparativo

Abstract

The high-risk pregnancy may have lead to an unfavorable outcome for mother and/or fetus that can interfere in mother-baby bonding, as the mother’s expectations are frustrated and replaced by the fear of a gestation and baby different from the idealized. These fears are present to a greater or lesser extent in the psychic health of all pregnant women and may cause symptoms of stress and anxiety. Thereby these mothers can use different coping strategies to overcome and to adapt to this risk situation. In this sense, the objective of this study was to investigate if there is difference in the coping mode and fetal maternal attachment in high-risk and low-risk pregnant women. A total of 169 pregnant women participated in the study, of which 120 were attending at high risk outpatient clinic at Maternidade Escola Januário Cicco; and 49 low-risk women who received prenatal care at the Basic Health Units. They answered a questionnaire with social, demographic, psychological and health data; the Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale which investigates the behaviors that the woman develops during pregnancy; and the Coping Scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. There was no statistically significant difference in the maternal-fetal attachment variable among the groups investigated. However, there was a statistically significant difference (p <0.001) in the " problem-focused coping" variable when compared between the low and high risk groups, which was higher in the low risk. The data analysis suggests that the lower the gestational risk is, the greater the use of these strategies by the pregnant women to overcome the stress and anxiety during pregnancy.