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Psychosomatic symptoms of the Couvade syndrome in Finnish and Polish expectant fathers
Affiliations- Medical University of Silesia , School of Health Sciences in Katowice, Woman's Health Division, Department of Nursing in Gynecology and Obstetrics, Katowice, Poland
- Voivodeship Specialist Hospital Megrez Sp.z o.o., Gynecological and Maternity Ward with the Oncological Gynecology Subunit, Tychy, Poland
- Medical University of Gdansk, Department of Obstetrics, Gdansk, Poland
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Abstract
Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the occurrence of symptoms associated with the Couvade syndrome in two groups of men of Polish and Finnish nationality, and to perform a comparative analysis.
Material and methods: The study was conducted in two groups of men (expectant fathers): 51 Poles and 40 Finns using a self-constructed questionnaire prepared in Polish and English languages. The statistical analysis was performed in Microsoft Office Excel 2010 and Statistica 12. The Pearson’s test was calculated, and the statistical significance level was p < 0.05.
Results: The most common physical symptoms reported by the Polish men were weight gain (78%) and gastric disorders (80%), whereas the Finns most frequently declared weight gain (60%). As for emotional symptoms, mood swings (p = 0.0001) and sleep disorders (p = 0.00004) were significantly more common in the Poles, whilst the Finns experienced frustration (p = 0.0403) and nervousness (p = 0.01579) significantly more frequently. The Finnish respondents more often used professional forms of preparation for childbirth and parenthood (p = 0.00229).
Conclusions: Psychosomatic symptoms of the Couvade syndrome are significantly more common in Polish than in Finnish expectant fathers. Compared with Polish fathers, Finns significantly more frequently attend ante-natal classes. Ante-natal care should encompass education of men as they do experience the symptoms of the Couvade syndrome during their wives’/partners’ pregnancies.
Abstract
Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the occurrence of symptoms associated with the Couvade syndrome in two groups of men of Polish and Finnish nationality, and to perform a comparative analysis.
Material and methods: The study was conducted in two groups of men (expectant fathers): 51 Poles and 40 Finns using a self-constructed questionnaire prepared in Polish and English languages. The statistical analysis was performed in Microsoft Office Excel 2010 and Statistica 12. The Pearson’s test was calculated, and the statistical significance level was p < 0.05.
Results: The most common physical symptoms reported by the Polish men were weight gain (78%) and gastric disorders (80%), whereas the Finns most frequently declared weight gain (60%). As for emotional symptoms, mood swings (p = 0.0001) and sleep disorders (p = 0.00004) were significantly more common in the Poles, whilst the Finns experienced frustration (p = 0.0403) and nervousness (p = 0.01579) significantly more frequently. The Finnish respondents more often used professional forms of preparation for childbirth and parenthood (p = 0.00229).
Conclusions: Psychosomatic symptoms of the Couvade syndrome are significantly more common in Polish than in Finnish expectant fathers. Compared with Polish fathers, Finns significantly more frequently attend ante-natal classes. Ante-natal care should encompass education of men as they do experience the symptoms of the Couvade syndrome during their wives’/partners’ pregnancies.
Keywords
Psychosomatic symptoms of the Couvade syndrome in Finnish and Polish expectant fathers
About this articleTitle
Psychosomatic symptoms of the Couvade syndrome in Finnish and Polish expectant fathers
Journal
Issue
Article type
Research paper
Pages
35-39
Published online
2018-01-31
Page views
2222
Article views/downloads
1735
DOI
Pubmed
Bibliographic record
Ginekol Pol 2018;89(1):35-39.
Keywords
Psychosomatic symptoms of the Couvade syndrome in Finnish and Polish expectant fathers
Authors
Urszula Sioma Markowska
Michalina Zyg
Bogumiła Kiełbratowska
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