Maternal psychosocial factors associated with postpartum pain.

Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM

Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL (Dr Badreldin, Ms Ditosto, and Dr Yee).

Published: May 2023

Background: The experience of pain is shaped by a host of psychological, cultural, and social factors. Although pain is the most common postpartum complaint, data on its relationship with psychosocial factors and postpartum pain are limited.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between self-reported postpartum pain scores and patient-level psychosocial factors, including relationship status, pregnancy intendedness, employment, education, and psychiatric diagnosis.

Study Design: This was a secondary analysis of data from a prospective observational study of postpartum patients at 1 institution (May 2017 to July 2019) who used an oral opioid at least once during their postpartum hospitalization. Enrolled participants completed a survey, which included questions regarding their social situation (including relationship status), psychiatric diagnoses, and perceptions of their pain control during their postpartum hospitalization. The primary outcome was self-reported overall pain during the postpartum hospitalization (score of 0-100). Multivariable analyses accounted for age, body mass index, nulliparity, and mode of delivery.

Results: In this cohort of 494 postpartum patients, most patients (84.0%) underwent cesarean delivery, and 41.3% of patients were nulliparous. In a pain score of 0 to 100, participants reported a median pain score of 47. On bivariable analyses, there was no significant difference in pain score between patients with and without an unplanned pregnancy or a psychiatric diagnosis. Patients who were unpartnered, those without a college education, and those who were unemployed reported significantly higher pain scores (57.5 vs 44.8 [P<.01], 52.6 vs 44.6 [P<.01], and 53.6 vs 44.6 [P<.01], respectively). In multivariable analyses, patients who were unpartnered and unemployed reported significantly higher adjusted pain scores than patients who were partnered and employed (adjusted beta coefficients: 7.93 [95% confidence interval, 2.29-13.57] vs 6.67 [95% confidence interval, 2.28-11.05]).

Conclusion: Psychosocial factors, such as relationship and employment statuses, which are indicators of social support, are associated with the experience of pain postpartum. These findings suggest that addressing social support, such as via enhanced support from the health care team, warrants exploration as a nonpharmacologic means of improving the postpartum pain experience.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10121962PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajogmf.2023.100908DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

psychosocial factors
12
postpartum pain
12
postpartum hospitalization
12
pain score
12
pain
11
postpartum
9
pain scores
8
including relationship
8
relationship status
8
postpartum patients
8

Similar Publications

Street fight videos on the internet may provide information about little known aspects of human physical aggression, but their reliability is unclear. Analyses of 100 dyadic fight videos addressing ethological, game theoretic and sex-differentiated questions derived from research on other animals found that prefight verbalizations or gestural signals of nonaggressive or aggressive intent loosely predicted who would strike first and who would win. The head is the preferred strike target.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Previous research highlights impairments in the recognition of facial expression of emotion in individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Relatives of people with ASD may exhibit similar, albeit subtler, impairments, referred to as the Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP). Recently, the Differential outcomes procedure (DOP) has been shown to enhance this ability in young adults using dynamic stimuli, with fewer intensity levels required to identify fear and surprise.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim And Objectives: To describe nurses' perceptions of sexual healthcare for people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities.

Background: Nurses are responsible for meeting the fundamental needs of people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities, yet there are still issues when it comes to their sexuality. Sexual assistants can help people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities to meet their sexual needs, but little is known about these invisible, unregulated care providers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Restorative justice (RJ) is an ethical lens that places emphasis on a community's connection and proliferative impact of actions, promoting communication and establishing methods for accountability. RJ practices can be applied on a spectrum, including proactive community-building practices, community discussions in response to an event, and restorative conferences addressing specific incidences of harm. This article describes an intervention that utilized RJ community-building practices within a medical education environment and evaluates its acceptability and feasibility.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Global prevalence of autism in changing times.

Lancet Psychiatry

December 2024

Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK. Electronic address:

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!