The purpose of this study was to provide prospective information about the psychological consequences of amniocentesis for both the husband and wife. Amniocentesis is a procedure in which a sample of amniotic fluid is withdrawn from the amniotic sac surrounding the fetus during the second trimester of pregnancy and which is then cultured and tested for the presence of biochemical and chromosomal defects in the fetus. By gathering anxiety and self concept data before and after the results of the

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... amniocentesis were known and then comparing it to similar data collected from pregnant couples who did not opt for the amniocentesis procedure, it was hoped that the following research questions would be answered. 1. Do individuals' levels of anxiety and self concept change after receiving the results of the amniocenteses? 2. Are there differences in women's and men's levels of anxiety and self concept before or after receiving the results of the amniocenteses? 3. Are the levels of anxiety and self concept of couples who have amniocenteses different from the levels of anxiety and self concept of couples who are pregnant but who do not have amniocenteses? There were two sources of data for this study. The first source was the treatment group which was composed of 25 women and their spouses who had an amniocentesis performed during the fifth month of pregnancy. The second source of data was the comparison group which was composed of 25 women and their spouses who were pregnant but who did not have an amniocentesis performed. These two groups were comparable in terms of socioeconomic status, educational achievement, racial composition, and religious affiliation. Both groups were interviewed at home on two occasions and during these times they were asked to describe their pregnancy experiences and to respond to the Institute of Personality and Ability Testing Anxiety Scale Questionnaire and the Tennessee Self Concept Scale. To determine if changes occur in the treatment group's anxiety and self concept scores after receiving t [...]