Anxiety Mood.  2018 Oct;14(2):106-111. 10.24986/anxmod.2018.14.2.106.

Effects of the Temperament and Character on Depression, Anxiety, and Maternal-Fetal Attachment in High-Risk Pregnant Women

• Jung SH
• Bae JG
• Jung SW
• Kim MK
• Kim HC
• Kim JB

• KMID: 2430371
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.24986/anxmod.2018.14.2.106

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
High-risk pregnant women are exposed to the physical and emotional crisis associate with the condition of high-risk pregnancy, making these women emotionally unstable, exhibiting such conditions as depression and anxiety. The aim of this study was to examine what effects the temperament and character of high-risk pregnant women had on their depression, anxiety, and maternal-fetal attachment.
METHODS
A hundred and five high-risk pregnant women were recruited in the maternity ward of the Keimyung University medical center. All subjects were administered a sociodemographic and obstetric questionnaire, Temperament and Character Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory-II, State Trait Anxiety Inventory-State, and Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale.
RESULTS
First, higher scores on the harm-avoidance scale and lower scores on the self-directedness scale were associated with higher depression scores. Second, higher scores on the harm-avoidance and rewarddependence scale were associated with higher anxiety scores. Lastly, higher scores on the cooperativeness scale were associated with higher maternal-fetal attachment scores.
CONCLUSION
Temperament and character in high-risk pregnant women were associated with the degree of depression, anxiety, maternal-fetal attachment. Based on these findings, it is suggested that examining temperament and character in advance and screening for vulnerability in pregnant women can help to prevent emotional problems for high-risk pregnant women.

Keyword

High-risk pregnancy; Temperament; Character; Depression; Anxiety; Maternal-fetal attachment

MeSH Terms

Academic Medical Centers
Anxiety*
Depression*
Female
Humans
Mass Screening
Pregnancy, High-Risk
Pregnant Women*
Temperament*