The experience of First Sexual Intercourse: an Exploratory Study in Greek Women

Background: A young person's first sexual intercourse is often a remarkable and memorable experience.However, little information exists regarding contextual factors of this first experience and the possible effects ontheir subsequent sexual lifeObjective: This study explored the conditions of and women’s emotional reactions to first sexual intercourse(FSI), as well as FSI’s impact on their future sexual experiences.Methodology: Participants were 899 women aged 19 to 40 yrs, registered in 23 arbitrarily selected GPs privatepractices. They completed a 30-item questionnaire regarding their first sexual intercourse experience.Results: It was found that information sources for sexual issues (family vs media) significantly influence both theadoption of responsible sexual behaviours and the formation of feelings preceding sexual initiation (p<0.05). Thestudy also demonstrated that even when FSI is perceived as voluntary other correlates (e.g. woman’s and /orpartner’s age, contraceptive use etc.) affect women’s emotional reaction to first coital experience and theirresponse to future sexual encounters.Conclusions: The findings of this study provide initial data to suggest that the first sexual intercourse experiencesignificantly impacts women’s sexual life. Health professionals should be aware of this information in thedevelopment of programs focusing on the promotion of sexual health for adolescents or parents; education

Postpartum depression in Cypriot New Mothers

ABSTRACT Postpartum depression is a complex phenomenon affecting many women immediately following childbirth. The present study examined the incidence of postpartum depression in a sample of 226 new mothers in Cyprus in relevance to specific socio-economic and psychological background variables. Participants completed the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) on the 4 th day after delivery. The results showed that 21.3% of the participants experienced depression according to the BDI, and 13.7% were at risk of developing postpartum depression as indicated by the EPDS. These results were found to relate to psychopathology existing prior to childbirth, whilst variables such as age, profession and educational level did not relate to postpartum depression

Factorial Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) in Greek Midwives

Burnout is a variable that continues to sustain international research interest. The most widely adopted tool measuring the burnout syndrome is the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The present study attempted to examine the psychometric properties and factorial structure of the MBI amongst a sample of 536 professional health specialists in Greece. The results indicated satisfactory reliability through internal consistency for all three dimensions. However, a factor analysis did not produce conclusive evidence of a tripartite construct, but rather the predominance of a single primary factor (emotional exhaustion), and a secondary factor (depersonalization). The results confirm previous findings advocating the uni-factorial or bi-factorial nature of the construct

The relation of positive emotions to post partum depression

Positive emotions have been implicated in the development of coping resources and resilience for psychological health across various significant life events. Childbirth is often an event that incites positive emotions in a woman, and it may be that such emotions have an immobilizing effect on the onset of post natal depressive symptoms. In efforts to examine the influence of positive emotions on women during their transition into motherhood, the present study assessed 195 women across two stages: before and after childbirth. The aim of the study was to examine the variety of positive emotions that arise from childbirth, the relationship of positive emotions that arise from childbirth to maternity and other demographic variables and the relation between positive emotions that arise from childbirth and depressive post natal symptoms. Results revealed a significant manifestation of specific positive emotions such as joyfulness, pride, and interest after childbirth. Participants between the ages of 30 and 34 experienced a greater variety and intensity of positive emotions before and after. In turn, a negative relationship was found between the experience of positive emotion intensity and post natal depressive symptomatology. Factors such as education level, whether the birth was planned or not, and environmental and partner support were found to relate significantly to the manifestation of positive emotions

Association between gestational diabetes and perinatal depressive symptoms: evidence from a Greek cohort study

Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess the association of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms in a sample of pregnant women in Greece. Background: Earlier research supports a relationship between depression and diabetes, but only a few studies have examined the relationship between GDM and perinatal depressive symptomatology. Methods: A total of 117 women in their third trimester of pregnancy participated in the study. Demographic and obstetric history data were recorded during women’s third trimester of pregnancy. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the validated Greek version of the Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at two time points: on the third trimester of pregnancy and on the first week postpartum. Findings: Prevalence of GDM was 14.5%. Probable diagnosis of depression occurred for 12% of the sample during the antenatal assessment and 15.1% in the postpartum assessment. In the first week postpartum, women with GDM had significantly higher postpartum (but no antenatal) EPDS scores compared with the non-GDM cohort. In conclusion, GDM appears to be associated with depressive symptoms in the first week postpartum. Clinical implications and recommendations for future research are discussed, emphasizing the importance of closely monitoring women with GDM who seem more vulnerable to developing depressive symptomatology during the postnatal period