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Biomedical subjects

S Sheptak

Publications and source records attributed to S Sheptak.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Dysphoric distress in childbearing women.

Previous research on depression in childbearing women has focused on the presence or absence of clinical depression. Little attention has been paid to the distress caused by the presence of depressive symptoms in the absence of the full syndrome of clinical depression. A convenience sample of 202 healthy, married, primigravid women who were free of psychiatric symptoms were assessed at 10 to 14 weeks and 30 to 32 weeks of pregnancy and at 1 to 2 weeks and 14 weeks post partum. Depression symptoms were measured by using the Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, the standardized clinical interview for research and depression of The National Institute of Mental Health. Data from the Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia indicated that only 5% of the women met criteria for clinical depression but approximately 50% of the sample reported clinical levels of three or more depressive symptoms. Anger, fatigue, psychic anxiety, and worry were the most frequently endorsed symptoms at each assessment point. The implications of these findings for symptom management and health promotion for childbearing women are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

A standardized interview that differentiates pregnancy and postpartum symptoms from perinatal clinical depression.

In a prospective longitudinal study, 202 primigravidas were assessed for depression using the National Institute of Mental Health's (NIMH) standardized clinical interview, the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS), and Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) at four periods: 10 to 14 weeks of pregnancy, 30 to 32 weeks of pregnancy, 1 to 2 weeks postpartum, and 14 weeks postpartum. Women's responses did not fit the SADS standardized questions and prescribed ratings because pregnancy and postpartum symptoms often mimicked depression symptoms. This was addressed by adding questions and scoring criteria to separate out pregnancy and postpartum symptoms from depression symptoms. Results showed that, after accounting for pregnancy-postpartum symptoms, women consistently claimed eight symptoms with high frequency and higher mean ratings: dysphoric mood, worrying, somatic and psychic anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, anger, and irritability. The findings suggest that 1) depression in pregnant and newly delivered women may be underdiagnosed if caregivers attribute their complaints or symptoms to time-limited somatic conditions; 2) depression may be overdiagnosed if clinicians use self-report measures solely, or without carefully interviewing women to separate the symptoms of depression from symptoms of pregnancy and postpartum; and 3) women's reactions to perinatal symptoms may have some bearing on the development of depression then or later. Simple clinical and social amelioration of the symptoms of distress might reduce their effect and diminish the rate of mistaken diagnoses of depression.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Maternal cognitive themes during pregnancy.

This preliminary study explored possible cognitive themes endorsed by pregnant women. A goal was to ascertain whether a concept proposed by Reva Rubin known as "Cognitive Style of Pregnancy" had beginning empirical support. A sample of 50 women with normal pregnancies responded to a 56-item questionnaire known as the Cognitive Adaptation to Pregnancy Scale, specifically developed to assess three constructs based upon a conceptual model known as "Cognitive Adaptation." Items on this scale were obtained in a pilot study from open-ended interviews. Items endorsed suggest a process involving a search for meaning, sense of mastery, and self-enhancement as conceptualized in the model. Items suggestive of a search-for-meaning process supported Rubin's early descriptions of inconclusive questioning and a sense of uncertainty during the experience of being pregnant.

Adaptation, Psychological↗