Showing papers by "Sakari Lemola published in 2012"

Maternal mental health in the first 3-week postpartum: the impact of caregiver support and the subjective experience of childbirth – a longitudinal path model

Abstract: Objective: Acute stress reactions (ASR) and postpartum depressive symptoms (PDS) are frequent after childbirth. The present study addresses the change and overlap of ASR and PDS from the 1- to 3-week postpartum and examines the interplay of caregiver support and subjective birth experience with regard to the development of ASR/PDS within a longitudinal path model. Method: A total of 219 mothers completed questionnaires about caregiver support and subjective birth experience (Salmon’s Item List) at 48–6-h postpartum. ASR and PDS were measured for 1- and 3-week postpartum. The Impact of Event Scale (IES) was used to assess ASR, and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to assess PDS. Results: ASR was frequent 1-week postpartum (44.7%) and declined till week 3 (24.8%, p <.001), while the prevalence of PDS was continuous (14.2% week 1; 12.6% week 3; p = .380). Favorable reports of caregiver support were related to better subjective childbirth experience, which was related to lower ASR and P...

The Course of Subjective Sleep Quality in Middle and Old Adulthood and Its Relation to Physical Health

Abstract: Objective: Older adults more often complain about sleep disturbances compared to younger adults. However, it is not clear whether there is still a decline of sleep qualityafter age 60 and whether changes in sleep quality in old age are mere reflections of impaired physical health or whether they represent a normative age dependent development. Method: Subjective sleep quality and perceived physical health were assessed in a large representative sample of 14,179 participants (52.7% females; age range 18-85) from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study across 4 yearly measurement time points. Results: Subjective sleep quality linearly declined from young adulthood until age 60. After age 60 a transient increase in subjective sleep quality occurred that coincides with retirement. Physical health prospectively predicted subjective sleep quality and vice versa. These relations were similar for participants above and below age 60. Discussion: Around retirement a transient increase in subjective sleep quality occurs, which may reflect a decrease in work related distress or an increase in flexibility to organize the day according to one's circadian preferences. Perceived physical health is important for subjective sleep quality in old adults, but not more important than at younger age.

Control beliefs are related to smoking prevention in prenatal care

Abstract: Background Smoking during pregnancy is one of the most important avoidable health risks for the unborn child. Gynaecologists and midwives play a fundamental role in the prevention of smoking during pregnancy. However, a large number of health care practitioners still do not address smoking in pregnant patients. Objectives We examined whether gynaecologists and midwives engage in screening and counselling of pregnant women and conducting interventions to prevent smoking during pregnancy. Further, we examined the role of gynaecologists’ and midwives’ control beliefs. Control beliefs involve efficacy expectations – the practitioner's confidence in his capacity to conduct prevention efforts adequately – and outcome expectations – the practitioner's expectation that such prevention efforts are successful in general. Methods A total of 486 gynaecologists and 366 midwives completed a questionnaire on screening of smoking, counselling and other interventions they conduct to prevent smoking during pregnancy. Moreover, gynaecologists and midwives rated their control beliefs regarding their influence on pregnant patients’ smoking habits. Results The majority of gynaecologists and midwives reported screening all pregnant patients regarding smoking, explaining the risks and recommending smoking cessation. By contrast, only a minority engages in more extensive prevention efforts. Strong control beliefs were predictive of a higher likelihood of screening and counselling, as well as of engaging in more extensive interventions. Conclusions The findings point to the importance of strengthening gynaecologists’ and midwives’ control beliefs by professional education and training on smoking prevention.

Optimismus und Pessimismus bei Vorschulkindern : Validierung eines Elternfragebogens

Abstract: Zusammenfassung. Ziel der vorliegenden Studie ist die Untersuchung der psychometrischen Eigenschaften, faktoriellen Struktur und konvergenten Validitat der deutschsprachigen Version des Parent Rated Life Orientation Test of Children (PLOT) zur Messung von Optimismus und Pessimismus bei 4 bis 6-jahrigen Vorschulkindern. Eltern von 145 Kindergartenkindern (77 Madchen; Alter: M = 5.0, SD = 0.6 Jahre) schatzten Optimismus und Pessimismus sowie Emotionsregulation der Kinder ein. Auserdem wurde das Problemverhalten der Kinder (Eltern- und Erzieherinneneinschatzung) erfasst. Konsistent zu Studien mit Schulkindern und Jugendlichen zeigte sich eine zweidimensionale Faktorenstruktur mit einem Optimismus- und einem Pessimismusfaktor. Die Ergebnisse ergaben theoriekonforme Zusammenhange mit Problemverhalten und Emotionsregulation der Kinder. Insgesamt weisen die gefundenen Reliabilitats- und Validitatswerte auf eine gute Verwendbarkeit des PLOT bei Vorschulkindern hin. Das neue Messverfahren kann einen Beitrag zum be...