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- Lilliecreutz, Caroline, et al.
(författare)
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An open trial with cognitive behavioral therapy for blood- and injection phobia in pregnant women-a group intervention program
- 2010
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Ingår i: ARCHIVES OF WOMENS MENTAL HEALTH. - : Springer Science Business Media. - 1434-1816 .- 1435-1102. ; 13:3, s. 259-265
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Around 7% of pregnant women suffer from blood- and injection phobia. The aim was to investigate if cognitive behavior group therapy (CBT) is effective in treating pregnant womens blood- and injection phobia. Thirty pregnant women with blood- and injection phobia according to DSM-IV took part in an open treatment intervention. A two-session cognitive behavior group therapy was conducted. As controls, 46 pregnant women with untreated blood- and injection phobia and 70 healthy pregnant women were used. Repeated measures ANOVA were performed. The scores for the CBT treatment group on the "Injection Phobia Scale-Anxiety" were reduced both after each treatment session and postpartum (p andlt; 0.001). Anxiety and depressive symptoms were also reduced (p andlt; 0.001). Cognitive-behavior group therapy for pregnant women with blood- and injection phobia is effective and stable up to at least 3 months postpartum. It seems also to reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms during pregnancy.
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| 2. |
- Lilliecreutz, Caroline
(författare)
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Blood-and Injection Phobia in Pregnancy : Epidemiological, Biological and Treatment aspects
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Introduction: Blood- and injection phobia is an anxiety disorder with a prevalence of approximately 3-5% in the general population. The etiology is often a combination of genetic factors and a conditioning experience. The symptoms of blood- and injection phobia are dizziness, confusion, nausea, epigastria discomfort, anxiety and sometimes panic attacks when receiving injections, seeing blood or having a blood sample taken. Unique for this specific phobia is the high probability of fainting when the phobic situation is encountered if there is no possibility to escape or to avoid the stimuli.During pregnancy and labor, women with blood- and injection phobia are exposed to most of their fears and they therefore find themselves in anxiety-ridden situations. Stress and anxiety during pregnancy is known to be risk factors for adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes. Studies have shown an altered hypothalamic-adrenal-pituitary axis in women with stress or/and anxiety during pregnancy and increased cortisol concentrations can imply negative consequences for the unborn child. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is known to be effective in treating specific phobias such as blood- and injection phobia.Aim: The prevalence, obstetric and neonatal consequences, impact on the hypothalamic adrenal-pituitary axis and treatment aspects of blood- and injection phobia in a pregnant population have not been investigated before. The aims of this thesis were to study each of these phenomena.Material and methods: During 2005 a total of 1606 pregnant women were approached at their first visit in an antenatal care clinic in the southeast region in Sweden. They were asked to complete the “Injection Phobia Scale-Anxiety” questionnaire. All women who scored ≥ 20 on the “Injection Phobia Scale-Anxiety” questionnaire (N=347), were interviewed and either diagnosed for blood- and injection phobia or dismissed. In total, 110 women were diagnosed as having blood- and injection phobia. Among the women who scored <20 on the “Injection Phobia Scale-Anxiety” questionnaire, 220 women were randomly stratified for age and parity as a control group. The women in the study population answered questionnaires in gestational week 25, 36 and postpartum concerning symptoms of blood- and injection phobia, depression and anxiety. Samples of cortisol in the saliva were collected in the morning and evening in gestational week 25 and 36 in both groups of pregnant women. The medical records from the antenatal care visits, the delivery and postpartum check-up was used to collect data of importance. A treatment study was conducted using a two session cognitive behavioral therapy in a group of pregnant woman with blood- and injection phobia.Results: The prevalence of blood- and injection phobia is 7 % in a pregnant population. Pregnant women with blood- and injection phobia stated more often a fear of childbirth (p<0.001) and were more frequently delivered by elective cesarean section (p=0.032). The incidence of having a baby diagnosed with a complication (p=0.001) was also higher among these women. The women with blood- and injection phobia had increased cortisol concentrations in the saliva compared to the healthy controls (p=0.014). A two-session CBT in group for pregnant women with blood- and injection phobia reduced phobic (p<0.001) anxiety (p<0.001) and depressive (p<0.001) symptoms during pregnancy.Conclusions: Blood- and injection phobia during pregnancy is rather common. Pregnant women with blood- and injection phobia are more likely to be delivered by elective cesarean section and having a baby born with a complication compared to women not suffering from this specific phobia. Untreated blood- and injection phobia during pregnancy increases salivary cortisol concentrations indicating an altered hypothalamic-adrenal-pituitary axis during these weeks of pregnancy. To enhance psychological well being in pregnant women with blood- and injection phobia a two-session program providing CBT for groups of pregnant women is valuable and produces stable results for at least 3 months after delivery.
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| 3. |
- Lilliecreutz, Caroline, et al.
(författare)
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Obstetric and perinatal outcomes among women with blood- and injection phobia during pregnancy
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Affective Disorders. - : Elsevier. - 0165-0327 .- 1573-2517. ; 129:1-3, s. 289-295
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Backgroun: Little is known about how anxiety disorders affect pregnancy outcomes. Therefore we investigated the impact of one anxiety disorder, blood- and injection phobia, on obstetric and neonatal outcomes. Method: From a population-based prospectively collected cohort we compared an index group of 110 women with blood- and injection phobia with a control group of 220 women. Standardized medical records were used to collect data. Obstetric and neonatal outcomes e.g. elective cesarean, prematurity, and small for gestational age were used as the main outcome measures. Result: Women with blood- and injection phobia stated more often a fear of childbirth (p < 0.001) and were more frequently delivered by elective cesarean section (p = 0.032). The incidence of premature delivery (p = 0.028), neonatal morbidity (p = 0.001) and the risk of having a baby born small for gestational age (p = 0.009) was higher among women with blood- and injection phobia. Limitation: The medical records, from which all information is drawn, despite standardization, sometimes may lack some information. However, this dilemma exists in both groups. Conclusions: Women with an anxiety disorder such as blood- and injection phobia are at increased risk for adverse obstetric outcomes, premature delivery and for having a baby born with higher neonatal morbidity. It therefore seems important to identify and treat women with anxiety disorders without delay early during pregnancy in an effort to minimize risks of complications for the woman herself and the child.
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| 4. |
- Lilliecreutz, Caroline, et al.
(författare)
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Salivary cortisol in pregnant women suffering from blood-and injection phobia
- 2011
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Ingår i: Archives of Women's Mental Health. - : Springer Berlin/Heidelberg. - 1434-1816 .- 1435-1102. ; 14:5, s. 405-411
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Stress and/or anxiety during pregnancy affect maternal and fetal wellbeing and can cause premature delivery and postnatal pathology in the child. Women suffering from phobias related to blood and injections are prone to high levels of stress including anxiety and sometimes panic attacks during pregnancy. Cortisol is amongst the mediators through which the neurohormonal expressions of maternal psychological factors may be transduced to the fetus. The aim was to investigate if pregnant women suffering from blood- and injection phobia have raised cortisol levels or are characterized by unusual diurnal salivary cortisol profiles compared to healthy controls. Methods: The sample consisted of 110 pregnant women with blood- and injection phobia and 110 pregnant healthy controls. Both groups provided morning and evening saliva samples in week 25 and 36 for the assay of cortisol. In gestational week 25 when blood was drawn for the mandatory blood testing extra blood was taken to analyze corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol in serum. Results: The expected diurnal decline in salivary cortisol was observed as well as increased cortisol levels during pregnancy. Pregnant women suffering from blood- and injection phobia had higher output of cortisol compared to women without the phobia (F=6.25 df=1 p=0.014) but no marked difference in the diurnal cortisol rhythm was found between the groups. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that untreated blood- and injection phobia during pregnancy increases cortisol concentrations. Blood- and injection phobia is treatable and cognitive behavioral therapy can be used.
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| 5. |
- Sydsjö, Gunilla, et al.
(författare)
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Obstetric outcomes for nulliparous women who received routine individualized treatment for severe fear of childbirth - a retrospective case control study
- 2014
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Ingår i: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2393 .- 1471-2393. ; 14:126
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: To study pregnancy and delivery outcomes in nulliparous women with severe FOC (fear of childbirth), all of whom had received routine treatment for their FOC and to make comparisons with a healthy reference group of nulliparous women. To study the possible relationship between the number of FOC-treatment sessions and the delivery method. Methods: All nulliparous women with a diagnose FOC who received routine treatment for FOC (n = 181) and a reference group of nulliparous women without FOC (n = 431) at a university and a county hospital in the south east region of Sweden were analysed. Data from antenatal and delivery medical records were used to study outcome. Results: The majority of women with severe FOC had a vaginal delivery. The incidence of elective CS was greater in the index group than in the reference group (p less than 0.001). The total number of women with a planned CS in the index group was 35 (19.4%) and in the control group 14 (3.2%). Thus, on average five women per year received an elective CS during the study years due to severe FOC. The women in the index group who wished to have a CS were similar to the other women in the index group with reference to age, BMI, chronic disease but had been in in-patient care more often during their pregnancy than those who did not ask for CS (p = 0.009). Conclusion: In this study of women treated for severe FOC, the majority gave birth vaginally and no relationship was found between number of treatment sessions and mode of childbirth.
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