Short Term Coping-Behaviors and Postpartum Health in a Population-Based Study of Women with a Live Birth, Stillbirth, or Neonatal Death
Title
Short Term Coping-Behaviors and Postpartum Health in a Population-Based Study of Women with a Live Birth, Stillbirth, or Neonatal Death
Creator
Stanhope KK; Temple JR; Christiansen-Lindquist L; Dudley D; Stoll BJ; Varner M; Hogue CJR
Identifier
Publisher
Maternal and Child Health Journal
Date
2024
Subject
Female; United States; Women; Adaptation Psychological; Spirituality; Pregnancy; Confidence Intervals; Depression; Odds Ratio; Human; Descriptive Statistics; Smoking; Behavior; Evaluation; Thematic Analysis; Coping; Perinatal Death; Funding Source; Scales; Psychosocial Factors; Support Groups; Logistic Regression; Postnatal Care; Alcohol Drinking; Pregnancy Outcomes; Complications; Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; Maternal-Child Health
Description
Objective: Responding to the National Institutes of Health Working Group's call for research on the psychological impact of stillbirth, we compared coping-related behaviors by outcome of an index birth (surviving live birth or perinatal loss - stillbirth or neonatal death) and, among individuals with loss, characterized coping strategies and their association with depressive symptoms 6-36 months postpartum. Methods: We used data from the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network follow-up study (2006-2008) of 285 individuals who experienced a stillbirth, 691 a livebirth, and 49 a neonatal death. We conducted a thematic analysis of coping strategies individuals recommended following their loss. We fit logistic regression models, accounting for sampling and inverse probability of follow-up weights to estimate associations between pregnancy outcomes and coping-related behaviors and, separately, coping strategies and probable depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale > 12) for those with loss. Results: Compared to those with a surviving live birth and adjusting for pre-pregnancy drinking and smoking, history of stillbirth, and age, individuals who experienced a loss were more likely to report increased drinking or smoking in the two months postpartum (adjusted OR: 2.7, 95% CI = 1.4-5.4). Those who smoked or drank more had greater odds of probable depression at 6 to 36 months postpartum (adjusted OR 6.4, 95% CI = 2.5-16.4). Among those with loss, recommended coping strategies commonly included communication, support groups, memorializing the loss, and spirituality. Discussion: Access to a variety of evidence-based and culturally-appropriate positive coping strategies may help individuals experiencing perinatal loss avoid adverse health consequences.
Rights
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Citation List Month
July List 2024
URL Address
Collection
Citation
Stanhope KK; Temple JR; Christiansen-Lindquist L; Dudley D; Stoll BJ; Varner M; Hogue CJR, “Short Term Coping-Behaviors and Postpartum Health in a Population-Based Study of Women with a Live Birth, Stillbirth, or Neonatal Death,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed February 10, 2025, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/19661.