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© 2009 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
J Ultrasound Med 28:1663-1670 • 0278-4297

Parents’ Worried State of Mind When Fetal Ultrasound Shows an Unexpected Finding

A Comparative Study

Anna-Karin Larsson, RNM, MSc, Elizabeth Crang Svalenius, RNM, PhD, Karel Marsál, MD, PhD, Maria Ekelin, RNM, MSc, PhD, Per Nyberg, PhD and Anna-Karin Dykes, RNM, PhD

Division of Nursing, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine (A.-K.L., E.C.S., M.E., P.N., A.-K.D.), and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinical Sciences Lund (K.M.), Lund University, Lund, Sweden; and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Lund, Lund, Sweden (A.-K.L., K.M., M.E.).

Address correspondence to Anna-Karin Larsson, RNM, MSc, Division of Nursing, Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, PO Box 157, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden. E-mail: anna-karin.larsson{at}med.lu.se

Objective. Most parents yearn for a second-trimester ultrasound examination and feel excitement about it, but some also worry about what the examination will show. According to prior research, using only generic instruments or specific questionnaires, anxiety decreases when the ultrasound findings are normal. The aim of this study was to compare parents’ worry (Parents’ Expectations, Experiences, and Reactions to Ultrasound [PEER-U] State of Mind Index) and sense of coherence before and after a routine second-trimester ultrasound examination when it showed normal or abnormal findings. Methods. A 1-year cohort study was performed at a Swedish university hospital. A total of 2049 parents who had their second-trimester ultrasound examinations there filled in a questionnaire consisting of 2 parts before and after the examinations. Results. Parents with normal ultrasound findings were less worried than parents with abnormal findings. The group with normal findings also showed less worry after the examination than before. A sex analysis showed similar patterns. Conclusions. Parents with abnormal ultrasound findings are more worried and anxious. The new instrument, the PEER-U State of Mind Index, not only measures parents’ worry but can also expose what influences their ultrasound examination experience.

Key Words: experience • fetus • parents • pregnancy • ultrasound • worry

Abbreviations: AF, abnormal findings • NF, normal findings • PEER-U, Parents’ Expectations, Experiences, and Reactions to Ultrasound • SOC, Sense of Coherence • STAI, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory

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Copyright © 2009 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.