Iraqi Journal of Medical Sciences






   
Vol. 12 Issue 3 July - September / 2014
Published on website | Date : 2016-03-24 10:48:00

HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) AMONG WOMEN WITH AND WITHOUT MEDICAL PROBLEMS DURING LAST PREGNANCY AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH POSTNATAL DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND ADVERSE PREGNANCY OUTCOME

Najlaa J. Ali, Maysaloun M. Abdulla


Abstract

Background:There is an increasing interest in measuring quality of life in clinical settings and in clinical trials. None of the commonly used quality of life (QOL) instrument had been validated for use postnatally.
Objectives:To assess the psychometric properties of the 26-item of World Health Organization Quality of Life –BREF WHOQOL-BREF among women following childbirth and to identify women with postnatal depression by using Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale EPDS.
Methods: Cross sectional study was carried out during the period from the 1st of December 2013 to 31st March 2014 in Baghdad, Iraq. A total number of 558 women were asked within first 48 hours after delivery to complete a questionnaire form which contains three elements (maternal socio-demographic and obstetrical variables, the WHOQOL-BREF which was developed by the WHO and EPDS).
Result:The study showed that the prevalence of postnatal depressive symptoms among 558 mothers was 33.5%. Most pregnant women included in study had fair QOL scores on all domains at late pregnancy. Thus, the study concluded that women who experienced medical diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and other diseases had a lower HRQOL at late pregnancy than those who were apparently healthy. Also, woman with newborns complications' (respiratory distress, low birth weight and other complications) had been experienced significant declines in psychological health.
Conclusion:The WHOQOL-BREF is well-accepted instrument in this sample and may be used in postnatal clinical settings or for assessing intervention effects in research studies.
Key words:Quality of life, postnatal depression, adverse pregnancy outcome.


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