Author(s): Masoud Khoshbin, Ahmad Shajari, Mohammad Hajmohammadi
Background: Correlation between stress, anxiety and depression in pregnant women and post-cesarean section (C-section) complications such as nausea and vomiting is among the most important studies in the world.Since nausea and vomiting after C-section cause the mother to be in uncomfortable condition, the purpose of this study was to determine the correlation of stress, anxiety and depression with postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Materials and Methods: The present descriptive-correlational study was conducted in early 2018 on 125 pregnant women under the C-section referred to Shohadaye Kargar Hospital of Yazd in Iran. After obtaining informed written consent and presenting oral explanation, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) questionnaire was completed before the C-section. Then, a questionnaire was filled out after the C-section to assess the presence and intensity of nausea and vomiting. Data analysis was performed with SPSS software version 19 using analysis of variance. Results: There was no significant correlation between stress, anxiety and depression before the C-section with presence and intensity of postoperative nausea. On the other hand, there was a significant correlation between preoperative stress and postoperative vomiting (P-value=0.024), which indicates that preoperative stress leads to postoperative vomiting in this study. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, increasing levels of stress, anxiety and depression in pregnant women under the C-section may have their own unpleasant side effects, but they do not increase the extent and intensity of postoperative nausea, and only preoperative stress can increase postoperative vomiting.