Maternal negative attitudes towards pregnancy as an independent risk factor for low birthweight

Psychometric Evaluation of the Prenatal Attitudes Toward Motherhood and Pregnancy Scale in an Iranian Population

Background and Purpose: Mothers' attitudes toward motherhood and pregnancy are crucial to their ability to adjust themselves to motherhood. Attitudes toward motherhood and pregnancy questionnaire (PRE-MAMA) have been used in a few Iranian studies, and its validity and reliability have not been assessed yet. This study, hence, aimed to provide the psychometric properties of the PRE-MAMA in Iran. Methods: In this research, 110 pregnant women were selected through random sampling in 2020. The face, content, and construct validity of the PRE-MAMA were examined through exploratory and confirmatory analyses. The test-retest reliability and internal consistency were also employed to assess the reliability of the questionnaire. Results: The content validity index and content validity ratio of the PRE-MAMA were 0.98 and 0.97, respectively. The results of the scale-based exploratory factor analysis confirmed the two-factor structure of the questionnaire. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.63, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (95% Confidence Interval [CI]) was equal to 0.97 (.93-.99). Conclusion: The Iranian version of PRE-MAMA is a valid and reliable tool for assessing Iranian mothers' attitudes toward motherhood and pregnancy.

Association between the sense of coherence 13-item version scale score of pregnant women in the second trimester of pregnancy and threatened premature birth

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the score of the sense of coherence 13-item version (SOC-13) scale in the second trimester of pregnancy is associated with threatened premature birth.

METHODS

All the subjects gave their informed written consent before their participation in the study. A self-reported questionnaire survey was conducted on the pregnant women at approximately 18 weeks of pregnancy. The questionnaire consisted of items on demographic characteristics, perinatal abnormalities, stress perception scale (SPS), and SOC-13 scale. Approximately 30 weeks of pregnancy after the first survey, we surveyed whether any treatment had been provided for threatened premature birth during the course of the current pregnancy. The study period was from December 2007 to February 2010. One hundred and seventy-seven pregnant women participated in the study, but only the data from 151 pregnant women were analyzed.

RESULTS

Forty-three (28.5%) pregnant women had threatened premature birth and received some treatment. Logistic regression analysis was carried out with threatened premature birth as the dependent variable and age, childbirth history, smoking habit, history of miscarriage or premature birth in previous pregnancies, SPS score, and SOC-13 scale score as the independent variables. It was shown that SOC-13 scale score affected threatened premature birth (p < 0.001) and that a low SOC-13 scale score was associated with threatened premature birth.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that the SOC-13 scale score in the second trimester of pregnancy could be of great value in clinical health care of pregnant women with a risk of threatened premature birth in the subsequent course of pregnancy.

Low serum secretory immunoglobulin A level and sense of coherence score at an early gestational stage as indicators for subsequent threatened premature birth

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of the candidate indicators secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) and sense of coherence (SOC) as predictors of threatened premature birth.

METHODS

This was a panel study conducted on women in their first and latter half of pregnancy during survey period. The survey period was from December 2005 to June 2006 and from December 2007 to June 2008. The women enrolled in the study were asked to complete the survey questionnaire and provide blood samples for the determinations of physiological indicators. The questionnaire consisted of questions related to the stress perception scale (SPS), SOC score as an indicator of modifiers of stress, demographic data, complications in a previous pregnancy, and the course of the current pregnancy. We used s-IgA and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein as a physiological stress indicator and a marker of infection, respectively. Seventy-two eligible subjects were included in the analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight (38.9%) subjects had undergone treatment for threatened premature birth, and 44 (61.1%) subjects had not. In the logistic analysis, we set the course of pregnancy as a dependent variable, and age, birth history, smoking habits, a history of miscarriage, premature birth or threatened premature birth, SPS, SOC, and s-IgA in the first half of pregnancy as independent variables. We found that low serum s-IgA levels and low SOC scores in the first half of pregnancy were associated with threatened premature birth.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that low serum s-IgA level and SOC score at an early gestational stage are significant indicators for a threatened premature birth.

Documenting and comparing plant species diversity by using numerical and parametric methods in Khaje Kalat, NE Iran

The aim was to examine and document several aspects of numerical diversity such as species richness, species diversity and evenness and to compare diversity in different slope aspects of the area by using numerical and parametric methods. About 193 quadrats of 4 m2 were located according to the nature of vegetation. Species composition and their abundance were recorded in a two-year period (2005 to 2006). The result of field investigation was collecting and identifying of the total 225 plant species belonging to 154 genera and 37 families. The abundance data were subjected to analyses by specific diversity packages to characterize and obtain numerical indices (Shannon, Simpson, Brillouin, McIntosh, etc.,) and parametric families of species diversity. Numerical indices were calculated and documented for monitoring purposes. The results of diversity in main slope aspects (N, S, E, W) showed higher species richness and species diversity indices in the north aspect than in the others but it was not true with evenness indices. About 30 species such as Acanthophyllum glandulosum, Acroptilon repens, Alcea tiliacea, Bromus sericeous, Astragalus turbinatus, Centaurea balsamita etc., were detected exclusively in the north aspect. This can be important in reducing the evenness. Diversity comparing by using rank-abundance plot as well as diversity ordering of Hill, Renyi and Patil and Taillie confirmed high species diversity in the north yet the result of ANOVA showed no significant differences in the four aspects. The result of diversity based on the models revealed that the whole area, the south and the west aspects follow lognormal distribution, north aspect follows logarithmic whereas the east follows both lognormal and logarithmic distribution. In other word, a shift from being lognormal to logarithmic model was observed in the east aspect.