TY - JOUR
T1 - Knowledge of prenatal screening and psychological management of test decisions
AU - Dahl, Katja
AU - Hvidman, Lone
AU - Jørgensen, Finn Stener
AU - Kesmodel, Ulrik Schiøler
PY - 2011/8
Y1 - 2011/8
N2 - Objectives To study associations between pregnant women's knowledge of prenatal screening and decisional conflict in deciding whether to participate in first-trimester screening for Down syndrome in a setting of required informed consent, and to study associations between knowledge and personal wellbeing, and worries in pregnancy. Methods A population-based cross-sectional study with 6427 pregnant women consecutively included before the time of a nuchal translucency scan. Participants were recruited from three Danish obstetric departments offering prenatal screening free of charge. The results presented are based on 4111 pregnant women (64%). Knowledge was measured using 15 questions. The primary outcomes were measured using pre-existing validated scales, i.e. The Decisional Conflict Scale, the WHO Well-Being Index and the Cambridge Worry Scale. Associations were analyzed by multivariate logistic and linear regression analyses. Results A higher level of knowledge was associated with less decisional conflict when deciding whether to participate in first-trimester Down syndrome screening (adjusted odds ratio 1.31 (95% CI, 1.26-1.37)). An increased level of knowledge was also associated with higher levels of wellbeing (adjusted linear coefficient 0.51 (95% CI, 0.26-0.75), P < 0.001). Knowledge was not associated with worries, either in general or specifically about something being wrong with the baby. Conclusion The results of this study indicate the importance of ensuring a high level of knowledge for pregnant women making choices about participation in prenatal screening for Down syndrome in order to improve the psychological management of test decisions.
AB - Objectives To study associations between pregnant women's knowledge of prenatal screening and decisional conflict in deciding whether to participate in first-trimester screening for Down syndrome in a setting of required informed consent, and to study associations between knowledge and personal wellbeing, and worries in pregnancy. Methods A population-based cross-sectional study with 6427 pregnant women consecutively included before the time of a nuchal translucency scan. Participants were recruited from three Danish obstetric departments offering prenatal screening free of charge. The results presented are based on 4111 pregnant women (64%). Knowledge was measured using 15 questions. The primary outcomes were measured using pre-existing validated scales, i.e. The Decisional Conflict Scale, the WHO Well-Being Index and the Cambridge Worry Scale. Associations were analyzed by multivariate logistic and linear regression analyses. Results A higher level of knowledge was associated with less decisional conflict when deciding whether to participate in first-trimester Down syndrome screening (adjusted odds ratio 1.31 (95% CI, 1.26-1.37)). An increased level of knowledge was also associated with higher levels of wellbeing (adjusted linear coefficient 0.51 (95% CI, 0.26-0.75), P < 0.001). Knowledge was not associated with worries, either in general or specifically about something being wrong with the baby. Conclusion The results of this study indicate the importance of ensuring a high level of knowledge for pregnant women making choices about participation in prenatal screening for Down syndrome in order to improve the psychological management of test decisions.
U2 - 10.1002/uog.8856
DO - 10.1002/uog.8856
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0960-7692
JO - Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology
JF - Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology
ER -