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- Nieminen, Katri, 1965-
(författare)
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Clinical aspects of childbirth-related anxiety
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Although giving birth is a positive experience for many, some 10% of pregnant Swedish women suffer from severe fear of childbirth (FOC), which impairs their daily functioning and poses a risk for a negative delivery experience. This thesis focuses on the mental and health-economic effects of severe FOC, and explores new treatment options for childbirth-related anxiety.Aims: (i) to investigate the prevalence of and variables associated with severe FOC, (ii) to estimate the cost of illness of severe FOC and (iii) to explore whether Internetbased cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT) is feasible for treating pregnant women with severe FOC and those with childbirth-related symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Design and Results: Study 1: In a cross-sectional study 1635 pregnant women were asked about their FOC via the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ), and provided socio-demographic data and information of their preferred mode of delivery. It was found that 15.6% of the participants had a severe FOC, which also strongly correlated with the preference of a caesarean section. Study 2: In a prospective case-control cohort study we mapped all visits, in-patient care, sick leave and delivery variables from medical records and estimated the societal costs in two groups of women; one group with severe FOC and one with low FOC. The costs for the group with severe FOC were 38% higher than for the low FOC group. Study 3: Twenty-eight nulliparous women with severe FOC were self-recruited to an eight weeks ICBT program for severe FOC. Fifteen women followed the entire program. Their FOC decreased significantly after treatment (Cohen’s d=0.95, p<0.0001), which means that ICBT is feasible and an option for treating women with severe FOC. Study 4: Fifteen participants in Study 3 wrote narratives of the imminent delivery before as well as after therapy. After treatment, the women had a more realistic attitude towards childbirth, more self-confidence and more active coping strategies. Partners and staff were perceived as more helpful, and the women were more aware of the child they were bearing. Study 5: Fifty-six women with a traumatic delivery experience were included in a randomized wait-list controlled study (RCT) of the effects of an eight week long ICBT program for childbirth-related PTSD symptoms. These symptoms decreased in both groups during active therapy, while the between-group effect size varied depending on measurements. Psychiatric comorbidity decreased in both groups after active treatment.Conclusion: Severe FOC is prevalent among Swedish pregnant women, and the cost of illness of this marker of peripartum psychological vulnerability is considerable when treated using standard care. A new treatment option for this group with ICBT seems feasible and is associated with more realistic attitudes towards the imminent delivery. An RCT with eight weeks of ICBT for parous women with PTSD symptoms also had promising results.As severe FOC is prevalent and associated with mental and economic burdens for the individual and the society, there is an urgent need to expand the research field. It is important to find feasible and effective treatments that can be applied on a large scale.
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| 2. |
- Smirthwaite, Goldina, 1965-
(författare)
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Genom genuslinser : Om patienters jämställdhet i tillgång till operation av gråstarr i Sverige
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Aim: The aim was to examine waiting times for cataract extraction in Sweden from an intersectional gender perspective; quantitative with regard to waiting times for different patient groups, and qualitative in order to identify factors that might contribute to gender differences in waiting time. Furthermore, the aim was to examine implications of critical realism and situated knowledges for studies of gender differences among patients regarding access to cataract extraction and more generally as grounds for studies of (in)equity in care. Methods: Studies I and II were register studies, and linear regression was performed in Study I and logistic regression in Study II. Mean waiting times for female and male patients were calculated in both studies. In Study III, focus group interviews were conducted at two eye clinics with differences in gender-related waiting times. The analysis method used was constructivist grounded theory, and text analyses were performed in Study IV. Main findings: Longer waiting times were associated with patients who were female, retired, of higher age, born outside the Nordic countries, having lower income, lacking education at university level and not being categorized by means of NIKE. Female patients had longer waiting time in all categories.The following factors might contribute to why female patients have longer waiting times: Traditional male occupations were constructed as being more demanding for visual acuity, while the need for good visual acuity in women’s work life was questioned; Assertive behaviour among men was explained in legitimizing ways; Behaviour among men with poor vision was constructed as safety risks in relation to driving and hunting. Concerning meta-theoretical aspects, both critical realism and situated knowledges can be fruitful for studies of (in)equity in care but are to some degree incompatible with each other. Conclusions: Differences in waiting times at eye clinics can be related to gender constructions. The prevailing pattern of female cataract patients systematically having longer waiting time than male patients that emerges in this thesis is noteworthy in relation to the principle of equity in care. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that waiting times were related to age, retirement, and native country as well as income and education levels.
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