Hopelessness and depression in women with abortion diagnosis

Author(s)

Débora Cristina Nozzella Bordini

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina (FM/SBD)
• Defense date: 2018-01-31

Examining board members

Glaucia Rosana Guerra Benute; Maria de Lourdes Brizot; Fábio Roberto Cabar; Niraldo de Oliveira Santos

• Advisor: Glaucia Rosana Guerra Benute

Abstract

Introduction: Hopelessness is widely associated with Major Depression and suicide risk. The suicide, on the other hand, is a public health problem that may be associated with economic, social and emotional factors. In Brazil, the ocurrence of suicide seems to be directly related to situations involving loss, frustrations and emotional distress, such as the abortion situation in woman\'s life. Objectives: This study aims to identify hopelessness in women who have received abortions or miscarriage diagnosis; to evaluate major depression; to verify the association between miscarriage, abortion; depression and hopelessness. Method: This study was composed of two phases. In the first phase, it was verified the medical records of 162 women who had a diagnosis of abortion and participated in the previous Project \"Guilt, anxiety and depression in the experience of induced abortion\". Of these, 144 had a miscarriage and 18 had a induced abortion. For this phase, a semidiriged interwiew; Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD) and Beck`s Hopelessness Scale (BHS) was analyzed. In the second phase, after an average time of 95,75 months from the abortion, a telephone call was made to the 162 women in order to invite them to participate at this time; twelve women agreed to return to the second phase of this study. The following instruments were applied: semi-directed interwiew, PRIME-MS and BHS. Quantitative and qualitative analysis was performed. The data were analyzed by the thematic analysis technique and later using the IBM SPSS Statistics Standard Edition. The significance level was p < 0,05. A qualitative analysis of the discourses of the women who attended the second phase was also performed. Results: It was found that 14,6% (n=21) of the women who suffered miscarriage had a high level of hopelessness (índex <= 9) and 30,6% (n=44) presented a diagnosis of major depression. Statistical significance was observed between high level of hopelessness and depressive diagnosis in women with miscarriage (p=0,03). Among women reporting induced abortion, 27,8% (n=5) had high rates of hopelessness and 55,6% (n=10) were diagnosed with major depression. When the two variables were associated, no statistical significance was found (p=0,9). The results of the second phase revealed that 2 women presented a high level of hopelessness, 1 that reported miscarriage and 1 that reported induced abortion. Both had a diagnosis of Major Depression. Conclusion: It was observed a high level of emotional distress associated with the abortion experience regardless of its natures, whether spontaneous or induced. There were There were high rates of hopelessness among women who experienced abortion, whether spontaneous or induced; and a statistically significant association was found between depression and hopelessness among women who experienced spontaneous abortion. In the evaluations of the second phase it was found that the suffering of some women remained current, regardless of the time elapsed or the type of abortion (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/25362-5 - Hopelessness and depression in women with diagnostic of abortion assisted in a university hospital
• Grantee: Debora Cristina Nozzella Bordini
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master