33 research outputs found
The perinatal experience during the COVID-19 pandemic: mixed-method research on maternal psychological health
No full textBirthing parenthood and world crises: worry about the future and the role of environmental factors in women in the perinatal period.
No full textIntroduction: In recent years, the perception of an uncertain future for the planet and humans led by the fear of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as, the worries about climate change and wars emerged as possible “collective risks” which increased worries during the perinatal period, impacting maternal well-being.
As a part of wider research on the psychological health of perinatal women during “collective crises”, the current study aims to explore the predictors of the worry about the future in women in the perinatal period at a specific moment, hence, at the end of the pandemic health emergency, and after the onset of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Methods: A total of 200 women, of which 125 pregnant women and 75 women during postpartum, participated in the cross-sectional study. The association between the worry about the future, psychological response to collective crises such as COVID-19, and the Russian-Ukrainian war, along with relational aspects such as attachment to the partner, loneliness, and closeness to significant others were tested. The online survey comprised: the Impact for Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) adapted for COVID-19 and war, the Experience in Close Relationship Scale - Short Form (ECR-S), the UCLA-Loneliness 3 Scale, and the Inclusion of the Others in Self (IOS) scale adapted for people and events.
Bivariate correlations and linear regression analyses were used to explore the association between the worry about the future and its predictors in perinatal women.
Results: Significant associations between worry about the future, closeness to collective events, loneliness, and variables related to the relationship with the partner emerged. In particular, regression analyses showed that higher levels of COVID-19-related post-traumatic impact, higher perception of closeness to the war, and anxious attachment to the partner were associated with higher worry about the future in pregnant and postpartum women.
Discussion: The results suggest that the psychological response to “collective crises” played an important role in predicting the worry about the future in pregnant and postpartum women. These findings shed light on the necessity to deepen the interrelations between collective, intrapersonal, and interpersonal factors that influence worries during perinatal experience and their implications for perinatal anxiety
The COVID-19 and perinatal stress: post-traumatic effects and loneliness at the end of the health emergency.
No full textAn observatory on changes in dreaming during a pandemic: a living systematic review (part 1)
No full textA 'new' way of dreaming has emerged during the pandemic, enhancing the interest of psychological literature. Indeed, during the years of the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many studies have investigated dream-related phenomena and dreaming functions. Considering the constant and rapid emergence of new results on this topic, the main aim of this study was to create an 'observatory' on the short- and long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on dreaming, by means of a living systematic review. The baseline results are presented, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement guidelines, to identify and discuss existing studies about dreams and dreaming during the COVID-19 pandemic published until February 2022. Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO, and PubMed were used for the search strategy, yielding 71 eligible papers included in the review. Our results show: (a) a more intense oneiric activity during lockdown; (b) changes in dreaming components (especially dream-recall and nightmare frequency); (c) a particular dreaming scenario ('pandemic dreams'); (d) an alteration of the dreaming-waking-life continuum and a specific function of dreaming as emotional regulator. Findings suggest that monitoring changes in dreaming provides important information about psychological health and could also contribute to the debate on the difficulties of dreaming, as well as sleeping, in particular during and after a period of 'collective trauma'
Dreaming, maladaptive daydreaming, and emotional dysregulation: a latent profile analysis
No full textIntroduction: Maladaptive daydreaming is a condition characterized by an excessive engagement in fantasy that interferes with relational and social functioning of subjects. To date, MD has not yet been deepened in the fields of sleeping and dreaming. From a perspective that frames dreaming and conscious waking states in continuity as mind wandering, emotion regulation assumes a crucial role in evaluating more or less functional trajectories. This study aims to classify dreaming patterns testing the association with some components of maladaptive daydreaming. Secondly, this study aims to associate dreaming patterns with emotional dysregulation and sleep disturbances.
Methods: 315 young adults (mean age= 23.35), participated in this cross-sectional study. First, dream patterns were identified using Latent profile analysis, involving as factors the dream recall, nightmares, lucid dreams, problem-solving dreams, emotional intensity, tone of dreams, (Mannheim Dream Questionnaire). Second, dream patterns were associated with specific components of maladaptive daydreaming, involving the distress caused when reality interrupts daydreaming and the impact of daydreaming on daily functioning (some items of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale). Third, dream profiles were associated with some sleep disturbances (Italian Sleep Disorders Questionnaire), and emotional dysregulation (DERS-SF).
Results: The following dreaming patterns were found: sweet dreaming (21.9%), systematic dreaming (47.7%), and over-dreaming (30.4%). Over-dreaming profile and systematic dreaming profile were more associated with maladaptive daydreaming components than the sweet dreaming profile. Similar results were found for emotional dysregulation and non-restorative sleep. No difference between over-dreaming and systematic dreaming profiles emerged.
Discussion: The results suggest that dreaming profiles characterized by intense dreaming (over and systematic) and maladaptive daydreaming share a similar hyper-investment of thought through phantasy and imagery. Moreover, both profiles are associated with emotion dysregulation, leading us to consider these patterns as attempts to control emotional experience. These findings have some theoretical and
clinical implications, considering both dreaming and daydreaming along a continuum, from healthy to maladaptive strategies to process emotions
The time of motherhood in a time of crisis: a longitudinal qualitative study
No full textAims/background: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health of women in the perinatal period has been widely shown in literature. Although longitudinal quantitative studies investigated the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on both women and children's health, no longitudinal qualitative study can be found within literature. The study aimed at an in-depth exploration of the longitudinal trajectories, from pregnancy to postpartum, lived by women through the waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Design/methods: As a method, the qualitative approach of Longitudinal Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used. A total of 14 women were interviewed for the first time during pregnancy (March-May 2021/second wave of the COVID-19 spread). Among the total, 8 completed a second interview, one year later, during postpartum (March-May 2022/end of the COVID-19 public emergency) and were included in the analysis. Results: Three superordinated themes emerged: (1) Maternal functions during the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) 'Care' needs of women in maternal services; (3) Unspeakable: obstetric violence and gender inequality in the working field. Themes were organised considering women's experience, showing continuity and discontinuity paths overtime. Conclusion: Women in their perinatal period during the COVID-19 pandemic felt like 'living incubators', both isolated and invested in individual and social responsibilities of 'caring'.The study confirms the need to re-centre maternal care services' praxis on women's needs as an act of collective repair against the consequences of collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic
Dreaming as an indicator of psychological health during the pandemic: a systematic review
No full textAttraversare la temporalità della maternità lungo il tempo della crisi pandemica: uno studio sull’esperienza soggettiva delle madri con la Longitudinal Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
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