MALE PARTNERS’ INVOLVEMENT TOWARDS PRENATAL SCREENING AND DIAGNOSTIC TESTING FOR DOWN SYNDROME
ABSTRACT: Now, male partners’
involvement in prenatal screening and diagnostic testing for Down syndrome is
becoming increasingly recognized as well to ensure that parents are well
informed of the risks and benefits of screening. The aim of study was to
understand the degree of male partners’ involvement during pregnancy in
Singapore population.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey of male partners’ attending prenatal
counseling was performed. The instrument used to measure the level of
involvement is a self-assessment questionnaire that identifies the role of male
partners with a Likert scale. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze data
gained.
Result: A total of 107 participants completed the questionnaire.
Sixty-seven percent of male partners were found to have a highlevel of
involvement while 32.7% was found to have a medium level of involvement. Most
of them stated that women can pursue prenatal testing without their permission.
Male partners found it more important for them to accompany their spouse to
amniocentesis or CVS than to the Down syndrome screening test. When
participants were asked about how much information about Down syndrome they
sought prior to the appointment, how much discussion they had with their spouse
about Down syndrome testing, and about whether they or their spouse should be
the first person to receive test results, most stated that they were undecided.
Conclusion: These results revealed that male partners were very well
involved in the Down syndrome testing during pregnancy and future studies
should assess possible underlying factors that influence male partners’
involvement.
Author: Niken Kusumaningrum,
Christina Choi, George S.H. Yeo
Journal Code: jpkeperawatangg140011