Assessent of Stress and Coping Strategies among Women with Problem of Obstetric Fistula in Addis Ababa Ethiopia
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Date
2008-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Background: An obstetric fistula is a hole in the wall of the vagina connectingto the bladder or rectum that is caused by prolonged and obstructed labor. As aresult the girl or woman is left with uncontrollable leaking of urine and/or fecesfrom her vagina, and constant and humiliating odor and wetness. Compoundingthis catastrophic physical trauma, in almost all cases, the woman suffers the loss ofher baby. Without treatment women are frequently ostracized from theircommunities out of shame. Some are rejected or abandoned by husbands and families. Many are unable to work or earn a living, driving them deeper intopoverty(21).Coping responses are a dynamic series of transactions between theindividual and the environment, the purpose of which is to regulate internal statesand/or alter the person-environment relations. The theory postulates that stressfulemotions and coping are due to cognitions associated with the way a personappraises or perceives his/her relationship with the environment22.This study isconducted to determine the levels of stress and coping mechanisms used by womenliving with obstetric fistula admitted at Fistula hospital in Addis Ababa.
Objective: To determine the sources and levels of stress, and copingmechanisms of women living with obstetric fistula.
Methodology: Institution based retrospective cross sectional study wasconducted at Addis Ababa fistula hospital from April 2009 to June 2009. Valid andreliable questionnaire administered to all eligible women admitted to the facilityduring the study period. Participants were surveyed with a demographic data sheet,stress, and ways of coping questionnaire and in-depth semi-structured interviewsand then processed and analyzed using SPSS software version 17.
Results: Finding of this study showed that, the most frequently encounteredsources of stress are internal stressors with highest mean and standard deviation61.81(11.35) followed by external stressors 27.01 mean and 7.09 SD. The leastsources of stressors among these women were, situational stressors having Meanand SD 26.280(8.06). The coping strategy used most frequently among these studysubjects was Planful problem solving, Mean and SD 20.341(3.856) and escape-avoidance 15.522 Mean and 3.841 SD. The less common utilized coping strategyamong theses women was Confrontive coping having 3.806 Mean and 1.503standard deviation.
Conclusions: Women with obstetric fistula are exposed to many stressfulsituations as a result of their problem, and these stressful situations are occurringwith differing degree. Women utilize different coping mechanisms in order to averttheir problem, identification of the type of stressor and it’s level and coping strategyhas a paramount importance.
Recommendation: The care that we provide to mothers must be anunderstanding and of holistic type which encompasses education, literacy training,the development of social networks, and the provision of skills with which to earn an adequate livelihood
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Stress Coping Strategies Women