AUTHOR=Cataudella Stefania , Lampis Jessica , Agus Mirian , Casula Fabiana , Monni Giovanni 

TITLE=A Pilot Study of the Relationship Between Pregnancy and Autoimmune Disease: Exploring the Mother’s Psychological Process

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01961

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01961

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p>Autoimmune disease mainly affects women in their reproductive years and has a significant impact on childbearing. Pregnancy can induce an improvement of the mother’s symptomatology in some diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis while exacerbating or having no effect on other autoimmune diseases as multiple sclerosis (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B4">Borchers et al., 2010</xref>). This uncertainty can affect the process of psychological reorganization, which leads to the achievement of a maternal identity. The quality of the mother-fetus emotional bond is considered particularly relevant for the subsequent attachment relationship and the psychological development of the infant (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B2">Ammaniti et al., 2013</xref>). In the last trimester of pregnancy, 15 women with different autoimmune diseases were interviewed using the IRMAG-R (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B1">Ammaniti and Tambelli, 2010</xref>). They also completed a battery comprising: PAI (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B17">Della Vedova et al., 2008</xref>); MAAS (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B7">Busonera et al., 2016</xref>); DAS (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B24">Gentili et al., 2002</xref>); PBI (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B36">Scinto et al., 1999</xref>); MSPSS (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B33">Prezza and Principato, 2002</xref>); DERS, (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B25">Giromini et al., 2012</xref>); CES-D (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B22">Fava, 1983</xref>); HCR-TS (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B5">Bova et al., 2012</xref>). All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed by Atlas.ti. The results show that women with autoimmune disease were ambivalent toward pregnancy, had high levels of depression, had difficulties in recognizing physical and psychological changes, and had difficulties in imagining the child. These are considered risk factors that could negatively affect the postnatal mother-infant relationship. These results focus on the importance of early multidisciplinary interventions that can support expectant women when they show signs of relationship difficulties with their infants prior to his/her birth.</p>