The Relationship between Coping Strategies During Pregnancy with Perceived Stress Level in Pregnant Mothers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Physical and mental changes that caused by pregnancy, causing high levels of stress, which is associated with adverse outcomes for the mother and fetus and pregnant women require coping strategies during pregnancy to combat  with these created challenges. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between coping strategies and perceived stress of pregnancy and pregnant mothers. METHODS: This study was done on 500 pregnant women as random sampling referred to 20 health centers in Mashhad. Information was obtained by using the Perceived Stress Questionnaire which scores range is from 0 to 56 and higher scores indicate greater perceived stress. In addition, coping strategies with pregnancy stress questionnaire which each subscale score measures separately was collected and evaluated. FINDINGS: Average score of planned preparedness strategy was 3.12±9.34, the avoidance  strategy 5.9±3.14, positive spiritual strategy 7.5±3.17 and the perceived stress levels of participants 6.9±3.23, respectively. Between perceived stress and planned preparedness strategy (r= -0.69) and positive spiritual strategy (r= -0.68) was a significant inverse linear correlation and also between perceived stress and avoidance strategy (r=0.75) was a significant positive correlation (p<0.0001) CONCLUSION: The results showed that perceived stress was positively correlated with planned preparedness strategy and positive spiritual strategy, whereas was inversely correlated with avoidance strateg

The Effect of Oral Capsules of Saffron on Anxiety and Fatigue During the First Stage of Labor

Introduction: Anxiety is a common emotional response in women during labor that may cause a prolonged labor and fatigue for the mother. Many steps have recently been taken to reduce the anxiety during labor which tend to utilize herbal medicine, therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of saffron oral capsules on anxiety and Fatigue during the first stage of labor. Methods: This triple blind clinical trial was accomplished on 60 women who were candidate for normal vaginal delivery in 17 sharivar hospital in Mashhad in 2014. The study participants were selected via convenience sampling and then divided into two groups of intervention (250 mg saffron capsules) and control (placebo). Fatigue and anxiety were measured at the beginning of the study and then every two hours until the end of the active phase of labor via a visual analog scale. The study data were analyzed by chi-square test, independent T-test, Mann-Whitney and multivariate via SPSS software version 11/5(p value of less than 0/05 was considered significant). Results: Mean anxiety score of saffron group was 26/4±16/9, whereas it was 46/5±18/8 in the placebo group and thus, a significant difference was observed between the two groups (P 0.001). The mean fatigue score in the Saffron group (57/7±20/9) was significantly lower (P=0.004) than that of the placebo group (73/8 ± 21/4). Conclusion: The study findings revealed that saffron can be prescribed in order to reduce maternal anxiety and fatigue

Effects of Maternal Empowerment Program on the Length of ‎Hospitalization and Readmission Rate of Premature Infants

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Premature infants because special needs might be admitted at the neonatal intensive care unit for days to recover. Despite medical advances, rate of readmission among preterm infants is relatively high, causing economic and psychological problems for families. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of empowerment Mother Program on length of stay and readmission rate of preterm infants. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 70 mothers with premature infants, divided into two groups of intervention and control. Educational-behavioral empowerment program was performed in four stages: 2-4 days after admission (stage one), 2-4 days after completing the first stage (stage two), 1-3 days before discharge (stage three), and one week after discharge (stage four). During each stage, mothers in the intervention group listened to selected audio files, and subjects in the control group received usual care based on hospital policies. In two stages, mothers were regularly enquired about the readmission rate of neonates via phone calls within 10-15 days after discharge. In addition, length of hospitalization was extracted from the medical records of the infants. IRCT:N201410151954. FINDINGS: In this study, mean of hospitalization in the intervention and control groups was 10.85±5.93 and 13.85±7.65 days, respectively (p=0.03). Moreover, no statistically significant difference was observed in the readmission rate of infants one month after discharge. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, the empowerment program caused a significant reduction in the length of hospital stay. However, it had no significant effects on the rate of readmission in the studied neonate