الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Preeclampsia (PE) is a multisystem disorder of unknown etiology, unique to pregnancy. Women with preeclampsia usually develop raised blood pressure and proteinuria, but the condition is also associated with abnormalities of the coagulation system, disturbed liver function, renal failure and cerebral ischemia. Current thinking is that the primary pathophysiology in preeclampsia is placental. While the secondary pathology in preeclampsia appears to be endothelial cell injury. Although the exact mechanisms which lead to preeclampsia are not clear, several factors are known to play a part in determining who will develop this disease. These include family history, age, parity and psychological factors.(97-99)
Stress may increase the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy through a number of pathways, including neuroendocrine and inflammatory mechanisms. This risk may increase with maladaptive coping.(100,101)
So, the identification of the coping styles used by preeclamptic pregnant women with stress is very important in order to modify the non effective ones and reinforce the effective ones hopefully to decrease the risk of preeclampsia in further pregnancies.
The study aimed to: identify stress and coping strategies among pregnant women with preeclampsia. To fulfill this aim, the study was carried out in the outpatient clinic as well as eclampsia unit at ELShatby Maternity University Hospital in Alexandria. A convenience sample of 300 pregnant women who were either attending or admitted to the previously mentioned settings, were recruted according to the following criteria: Primigravida, in the third trimester of pregnancy, no history of pre-pregnancy hypertension, diagonsed with mild or severe preeclampsia and willing to participate in the study.
A specially designed interview schedule was designed and utilized for data collection. It consists of three parts: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) and Sociodemographic data.