• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.203-214
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• 2001

Maternal stress was very common symptom that every pregnant women could have experienced during pregnant period. We found that the causative factors of stress for subjects were physical change(50.8%), family relationship(13.6%), change of body image(7.4%), concern baby(6.8%), economic difficulties(6.4%), depress(4.3%), morning sickness(3%), and miscellaneous(3.5%). According to our study, maternal stress during the first trimester negatively correlated with food and nutrients intake of pregnant women and gave low weight gain during pregnancy and low birth weight of infants. It also significantly correlated with monthly income(p<0.001) and monthly food cost(p<0.001) during pregnant period. Mean intake of Calcium and Iron were $47{\sim}60%$ of RDA and $35{\sim}48$ of RDA, respectively. With the Iron supplement the total intake of Iron exceeded 100% of RDA. We also found majority of food items, except seaweeds, fruits and vegetables, were negatively correlated with maternal stress during three trimesters. Additional support system projected by professionals in health-care field could mediate maternal stress and lead to healthy pregnancy outcome.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.215-224
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was performed to examine parenting attitude and stress according to personality type in elementary school students' mothers. Methods: The subjects consisted of 206 mothers of students. The measurement instrument was the questionnaire consisting of Korean-version MBTI and PSI test. Data was collected from March 15th to April 15th, 2008. Results: Among personality types by function, ST type was most, occupying 60.2%. Among personality types by temperament, SJ type was most, occupying 59.2%. The score of affective attitude was highest among the parenting attitudes. Parenting attitude was significantly different according to age, education, economic status, number of children, planned pregnancy, factor of stress, and family type. Parenting stress was significantly different according to planned pregnancy and factor of stress. In parenting attitudes by personality types, affective attitude was significantly different. Parenting stress was significantly different according to personality type by function. There was a negative correlation between affective and autonomic attitudes and parenting stress. There was a positive correlation between rejective attitude and parenting stress. Conclusion: It would be essential to provide dynamic developmental programs for increasing the children's social ability, and nursing intervention, education and counseling programs for decreasing parenting stress through understanding mothers' personality type.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.109-121
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• 2006

This study examines the relationship between mother's stress and cortisol level during late pregnancy and how it changes into postpartum periods. Thirty one families were recruited from Daejeon and Incheon in South Korea. The major findings were as follows: (1) The level of mothers' cortisol followed the typical diurnal pattern of decline throughout the day. Further longitudinal analysis revealed that the level of Korean mothers' cortisol steadily lowered from the 8th prenatal month to the 6th postnatal month. (2) During pregnancy, mothers reported to experience changes in physical activities, daily routines, eating habits, types or amount of social activities and sleeping habits. Among these they were stressed the most by changes in physical activities and social activities. (3) The results of postpartum depression tests conducted at two months after giving birth showed mothers at this time were mostly stressed from difficulty sleeping and unnecessary self criticism. (4) The level of psycho social stress in mothers at six months after giving birth was mainly on social roles and the questions about self reliance marked the highest points. (5) Overall, there was a tendency for the level of maternal stress to decrease definitely from before and after the delivery and even though the level of stress was steadily decreasing up to 6th postpartum month it was not as sharp as those of before and after the birth of the babies. The level of cortisol analysis also showed the same obvious tendency.

• 한국사회복지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.615-628
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• 2000

It is said that stress is the threat of peace and excess of resources which man has from special relationship between individual and environment. This study is for suggesting the method of intervention of the clinical social work service concerning stress for the adolescents who can conceive looking into the relationship between adolescent pregnancy and stress through the sundry records for them. When the change of making into parents from pregnancy overlapped with stress in the cycle of life as an adolescent period itself, the accumulated stress grows much bigger. The repeated change causes an obscurity of individual role and worsens stress and brings confusion on a priority ranking of developmental task. The pregnancy of adolescence has a demoralizing influence upon the adolescents themselves who are going to be adults, their children, and society. These negative effects won't be end in a short period so the effort of intervention in necessary to improve the coping skills and adaptability of pregnant adolescents. In case of pregnant adolescents, the approach of personal counsel is not just enough and effective prevention program can be better alternative and purpose at the same time. This intervention protects adolescents from the distress which can be easily disclosed after delivery and contribute to promote a good mental health of adolescents who will grow to be adults later. After all it implies the necessity of stress management program which can improve the coping ability against stress and develop positive recognition for the pregnant adolescents. Therefore much profounder study for practical intervention program, implementation, and evaluation is necessary with the conclusion which has the results of this literature study.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.105-120
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• 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the perception of Korean Medicine (KM) doctors toward infertility treatment evaluation tools and develop a standard evaluation tool for mental and physical function improvement following Korean medicine treatment. Methods: An online survey (Moaform) was conducted, and responses were analyzed for members of the Society of Korean Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology and KM doctors who participated in the 2021-2022 traditional Korean medicine treatment infertility support program in Gyeonggi-do. Results: In fertility treatment, the most effective indicators that KM doctors wanted to evaluate other than pregnancy and childbirth were reproductive health indicators, overall health improvement, and stress improvement (33.1%, 21.2%, 18.9%). Furthermore, 45.1% of the respondents had experience using the presented infertility stress evaluation tools. For each evaluation tool, 52.1% and 54.6% of the respondents answered that it 'does not reflect the changing circumstances of the times' and that there were 'too many questions'. As for the developing a standard evaluation tool for infertility treatment in KM, KM doctors expected a simple and clear tool focusing on the pregnancy rate. They also wanted the tool to include a reproductive health index, overall function improvement and stress improvements. Conclusions: The survey confirmed the need to evaluate indicators for reproductive health, mental health, and infertility stress in addition to pregnancy rate to assess the effectiveness of KM infertility treatment. It also confirms the necessity of developing an infertility stress evaluation tool with simplified questions that reflects the changing time.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.5-15
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• 2011

Although iron is an essential mineral, excess iron intake during pregnancy may increase oxidative stress in tissues. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of iron overload during pregnancy on iron status and oxidative stress in maternal rats. Ten week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were mated with male rats. Non-pregnant (control) and pregnant rats were fed diets containing normal Fe (35 mg/kg diet), high Fe (350 mg/kg diet), or excess Fe (1,050 mg/kg diet) during pregnancy. Rats were sacrificed on pregnancy day 19. No significant difference in weight gain, diet intake, or litter size was observed according to iron intake levels. Furthermore, serum iron, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were not different among the rats administered the three levels of Fe both in the control and pregnant groups. However, the iron levels were lower in pregnant rats than those in the control. The liver and spleen iron contents increased significantly in the excess Fe group. An increase in liver ferritin levels with increasing iron intake was observed. Protein carbonyl content, as a marker of oxidative stress, increased significantly in liver with increasing iron intake but not malondialdehyde. Glutathione peroxidase activity in the liver of pregnant rats fed excess iron decreased significantly. Bcl-2 protein expression in the liver declined remarkably with increasing maternal iron intake in pregnant rats. Taken together, iron overload during pregnancy had little effect on hematology. However, the deposits of iron in the liver and the decline in antioxidant enzyme activity implied increased oxidative stress in tissues of the excess Fe group. These results suggest that excess iron intake during pregnancy increases oxidative stress in maternal tissues and may also affect fetal tissues.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.459-473
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• 2020

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the effects of a lifestyle intervention program on weight gain, dietary habits, fatigue and pregnancy stress, blood pressure, and neonatal birth weight, using Cox's interaction model of client health behavior for overweight and obese women. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental research with a non-equivalent control group pre-post test design. A total of 52 patients who met the selection criteria, including 25 in the experimental group and 27 in the control group, were the subjects of the study; they comprised overweight and obese pregnant women who were receiving prenatal care at A and B women's hospital in J province. The lifestyle intervention program ran for 12 weeks in total and consisted of interactions involving affective support, health information, and professional/technical competencies. The data collection period was from February 1, 2017 to August 31, 2017. Results: This study showed differences in the appropriate weight gain rate (χ²=6.17, p=.013), suppression of an increase in fatigue (t=-2.32, p=.012), and an increase in pregnancy stress (t=-1.87, p=.034). Yet, no differences in physical activity, dietary habits change, blood pressure, and neonatal birth weight (p>.05) were found. Conclusion: The study findings indicate that this program could be an effective intervention for the control of appropriate weight gain, fatigue, and pregnancy stress. Therefore, a lifestyle intervention program based on Cox's interaction model of client health behavior could be an efficient strategy for a positive health outcome of overweight and obesity pregnant women.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.499-505
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• 2021

In this study, HRV signals are analyzed to compare the autonomic nervous system activity of non-pregnant women and pregnant women. 99 disease-free pregnant women and 27 non-pregnant women from W Hospital participated in the study. The acquired HRV signals were used by the program to perform time domain analysis and frequency domain analysis. The measured values were statistically analyzed for differences between pregnancy periods through a one-way ANOVA. In the results, SDNN and RMSSD in time domain analysis had significantly higher results in early pregnancy and non-pregnant women compared to mid- and late pregnancy. In frequency domain analysis, LF and HF had significantly higher values for pregnancy and non-pregnancy compared to midand late-term, but there was no significant difference between VLF and LF/HF. his means that as pregnancy progresses, the ability to control autonomous nerves decreases in the middle and late stages of pregnancy and increases physical fatigue and mental fatigue. Therefore, the longer the pregnancy period, the more special care is needed to maintain mental and physical stability of pregnant women.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.409-417
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• 2018

Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy disorder that is characterised by severe hypertension and increased risks of foetal and maternal mortality. The aetiology of PE not completely understood; however, maternal nutrition and oxidative stress play important roles in the development of hypertension. The treatment options for PE are currently limited to anti-hypertensive drugs. Punicalagin, a polyphenol present in pomegranate juice, has a range of bioactive properties. The effects of supplementation with punicalagin on angiogenesis and oxidative stress in pregnant rats with induced hypertension were investigated. The pregnant rats were randomly divided into five experimental groups (n=12 per group). Hypertension was induced using an oral dose of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 50 mg/kg/day) on days 14-19 of pregnancy. Punicalagin (25, 50 or 100 mg/kg) was given orally on days 14-21 of pregnancy. Punicalagin treatment at the tested doses significantly reduced diastolic, systolic, and mean arterial blood pressure in L-NAME treated rats from day 14. Punicalagin also restored angiogenic balance by increasing the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and downregulating vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1/fms-like tyrosine kinase-1. Punicalagin, significantly increased the placental nitric oxide levels as compared to PE group. The increased levels of oxidative stress in rats with PE were markedly decreased by treatment with punicalagin. Punicalagin at the tested doses markedly (p<0.05) enhanced the placental antioxidant capacity in L-NAME-treated rats. The raised catalase activity observed following L-NAME induction was significantly (p<0.05) and restored to normal activity levels in punicalagin treatment. Further, 100 mg dose of punicalagin exhibited higher protective effects as compared to lower doses of 25 and 50 mg. This study shows that supplementation with punicalagin decreased blood pressure and oxidative stress and restored angiogenic balance in pregnant rats with induced PE.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.233-242
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• 2018

Purpose: To identify risk factors for premature birth among premature obstetric labor women. Methods: Participants were 129 hospitalized women who were diagnosed with potential premature obstetric labor with 20 weeks to 37 weeks of gestation. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, $x^2$ test, t-test, and binary logistic regression. Results: Of 129 women, 78(60.5%) gave premature birth and 51 (39.5%) gave full-term birth. Risk factors for premature birth were education level (${\leq}$bachelor's degree), abnormal bowel condition (constipation or diarrhea), time firstly diagnosed with a premature obstetric labor (below 28 weeks of pregnancy), and multiple pregnancy. There were also increased risks of premature birth for participants with high level of anxiety and high level of prenatal stress. In social support, there was an increased risk of premature birth for participants with low level of social support. Conclusion: Prenatal nursing programs should consider not only psychosocial factors such as anxiety, prenatal stress, and social support, but also some general and obstetric factors such as education level, abnormal bowel condition, time firstly diagnosed with a premature obstetric labor, and multiple pregnancy to increase maternal and child health.