ASSESSMENT OF MATERNAL ANXIETY FOLLOWING NEONATAL SCREENING AND INVESTIGATION FOR OCCULT SPINAL DYSRAPHISM

The objective was to determine maternal anxiety and attitudes associat ed with a programme of neonatal screening and investigation for occult spinal dysraphism. Questionnaires were completed after diagnostic inv estigation (time 1) and 6 months later (time 2) by 83 mothers of babie s with possible markers of occult spinal dysraphism who were normal on spinal ultrasound. Outcome measures were: attitudes to the programme; maternal adjustment and attitudes to the baby; the State-Trait Anxiet y Inventory. Fifty-four other postnatal mothers formed the comparison group for maternal adjustment. No significant differences were found b etween investigation group (time 1) and comparisons on measures of mat ernal adjustment. Anxious mothers gave more negative responses to some maternal adjustment items but not to attitudes to the programme. Mean state anxiety at time 1 (33.66) and time 2 (33.69) and mean trait anx iety (36.23) were not higher than in mothers of normal babies. It can be concluded that a programme of investigation for neonatal abnormalit ies that pays attention to detail need not cause excessive maternal an xiety. However, some mothers remain anxious even after receiving norma l results. Anxiety can be assessed during appraisal of a new investiga tion programme, but refinements are needed.