Affiliation:
1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Faculty of Kirikkale University, Kirikkale, Turkey
2. Department of Psychiatry, Medical Faculty of Kirikkale University, Kirikkale, Turkey
Abstract
Objectives:
The purpose of this study is to explain which choices Turkish women prefer for
prenatal diagnosis more frequently and to find out if there is any association between
temperament and decisions through the prenatal diagnostic steps or consistency of decision.
Materials and methods:
This is a cross-sectional study on pregnant women who admitted to
our outpatient clinic based on the responses to a self-administered questionnaire at the time of
combined test or triple test as the first prenatal screening test. 198 pregnant completed selfadministered questionnaires comprising 131 questions including Temperament Evaluation of
Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego questionnaire (TEMPS-A).
Results:
Overall, 88.4% of women were willing to learn if there was an anomaly, whereas 4.5%
did not; 7.5% were uncertain. Of the included patients, 87.9% would decide on the screening
tests to be performed, 23.2% had a positive attitude on diagnostic tests, and only 13.1% were
in favour of termination. No association was found between the temperament scores and
positive, negative and indecisive attitudes of the patients. In addition, there was no relation
between being decisive and indecisive, and the temperament scores except for cyclothymic
scores. Indecisive attitude to termination was associated with higher cyclothymic scores (5 (1–
13) for decisive patients, 7 (0–17 for indecisive patients, p=0.035).
Conclusions:
We found that affective temperaments measured by the TEMPS-A are not related
with the attitudes about prenatal screening or diagnostic tests or termination. Indecisive attitude
to termination was associated with higher cyclothymic scores.
Publisher
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Subject
Obstetrics and Gynecology