[Psychological stress factors related to prenatal hospitalization]

Hospitalization may be a psychological stress for the pregnant women. Several "stressors" have been identified: separation from the family environment, patient-status, worries about their own health and about the outcome of their pregnancy, living conditions in hospital. The women's adaptation to hospitalization may interfere with their pregnancy adaptation. Defense mechanisms may be disturbed. Several factors can modulate the psychological effect of hospitalization in a positive or negative way: traumatic events during previous pregnancies, relation established during childhood with their own parents, support from social networks, staff attitude towards the pregnant women's demands of information, participation in decision making, verbalization of anxiety, etc. Hospitalization or pregnancy complications may induce a decrease of pregnancy acception, and the self-esteem of pregnant women but it has not been shown that under these situations mother-fetus attachment is diminished.