Homeyra Sajadi

Bio: Homeyra Sajadi is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Social support & Anxiety. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 30 citations.

The Role of Social Support in Prediction of Stress During Pregnancy

Abstract: BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Stress and lack of social support during pregnancy are associated with adverse consequences such as miscarriage, nausea, vomiting, preeclampsia, preterm delivery, low birth weight and different types of mental illnesses. This study, therefore, aimed to determine the role of social support in prediction of stress during pregnancy. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 210 pregnant women aging 18-40 years, who referred to two teaching hospitals of Babol in 2013. The subjects filled out demographic profile checklist, Pregnancy Experience Scale (PES) and Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ) in the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy. The data were analyzed. FINDINGS: The mean score of social support in the pregnant women was 12.87±4.18 (range: 0-25). The highest level of social support in the three trimesters of pregnancy was received from family. The mean overall support in the first trimester was significantly higher than the second and third trimesters (4.50±13.48 vs. 3.83±12.25 and 4.06±12.87, respectively) (p<0.05). Approximately a third of women had experienced stress during pregnancy. Most of the unpleasant experiences occurred in the third trimester of pregnancy. The obtained results demonstrated that social support had a significant positive relationship with pleasant experiences and a significant negative relationship with unpleasant experiences and stress during pregnancy. Social support predicted 50% of the variance in stress scores during pregnancy. The strongest negative predictor of stress during pregnancy was family support (β= -0.470) followed by support from friends and neighbors, and subjects’ perception of support (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Considering the negative relationship between stress during pregnancy and support from family, friends, and neighbors, women’s health care professionals should implement effective strategies to promote the level of social support during pregnancy.

The effect of exercise on anxiety in the elderly worldwide: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract: Physical activity and exercise are among the most important, simplest, and cheapest approaches to anxiety treatment, especially for the elderly. Their positive effects on improvement of mental disorders in the elderly have attracted a considerable level of attention. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the effect of sport on reducing anxiety in the elderly using meta-analysis. In this study, national and international databases of SID, MagIran, IranMedex, IranDoc, Cochrane, Embase, ScienceDirect, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science were searched to find studies published electronically from 1999 to 2019. Heterogeneity between the collected studies was determined using the Cochran's test (Q) and I2. Due to presence of heterogeneity, the random effects model was used to estimate the standardized mean difference of sport test scores obtained from the measurement of anxiety reduction among the elderly, between the intervention group before and after the test. In this meta-analysis and systematic review, 19 papers finally met the inclusion criteria. The overall sample size of all collected studies for the meta-analysis was 841 s. Mean anxiety score before and after intervention were 38.7 ± 5.6 33.7 ± 3.4 respectively, denoting a decrease in anxiety score after intervention. Results of this study indicates that Sport significantly reduces Anxiety in the Elderly. Therefore, a regular exercise program can be considered as a part of the elderly care program.

A negative association between social support and depression in the elderly population of Amirkola city.

Abstract: Social Determinants of Health (SDH) Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. Department of Community Medicine, Social Determinants of Health (SDH) Research Centre, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. 3 Department of Epidemiology and Geriatric Medicine, Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, Concord Hospital, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 4 Department of Psychiatry, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.

Exploring factors behind pregnant women's quality of life in Iran: a qualitative study.

Abstract: Background and objective Pregnancy-related physiologic and psychosocial alterations can impact on the body and cause symptoms which may affect quality of life. Since qualitative studies can provide more in-depth understanding of quality of life and its determining factors, this study was conducted with the aim of exploring factors affecting pregnant women's quality of life. Methods A qualitative descriptive study with conventional content analysis approach was made using the conventional content analysis approach on a purposeful sample of sixteen pregnant Iranian women in Hamadan, Iran from May 2015 to December 2015. Sampling was continued until data saturation. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured personal interviews, and were analyzed using the conventional content analysis approach. Results Data analysis resulted in three main categories, namely, the effects of pregnancy on different aspects of health (including psychological disorders, impaired interactions, disturbances in doing daily activities, disturbed body image, alterations in sexual relationships, physical disorders, and alterations in dietary habits and treatment regimens), pregnancy-related concerns (regarding the gender of the fetus, financial problems, childbirth, health, and the future), and coping with pregnancy (through strategies such as spirituality, positive attitude toward pregnancy, distraction and imagination, and support). Conclusions This study showed that different factors can affect pregnant women's quality of life. Nonetheless, prenatal care services are mainly focused on pregnancy-related physical problems, and other aspects of care are usually taken for granted. Consequently, healthcare professionals need to pay greater attention to pregnant women's quality of life and its contributing factors.