Perinatal parental mental health problems

Author(s):  
Vivette Glover ◽  
Rebecca Reynolds ◽  
Nick Axford ◽  
Jane Barlow

The effect of the environment on a child’s development starts in the womb. Many studies have shown that if the mother is stressed, anxious, or depressed during pregnancy, this increases the risk of a range of physical and neurodevelopmental problems for the child, even after allowing for relevant confounders. There is also strong evidence concerning the impact of both maternal and paternal anxiety and depression on parent–infant interaction in the postnatal period. Although there is good evidence for interventions that reduce depression and anxiety during the perinatal period for women, less is currently known about effective interventions for men or effective methods of prevention more generally. Overall, the evidence points to the importance of starting interventions in pregnancy.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther O Okogbenin ◽  
Omonefe J Seb-Akahomen ◽  
Osahogie I. Edeawe ◽  
Mary Ehimigbai ◽  
Helen Eboreime ◽  
...  

Objective The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had devastating effects globally. These effects are likely to result in mental health problems at different levels. Although studies have reported the mental health burden of the pandemic on the general population and frontline health workers, the impact of the disease on the mental health of patients in COVID-19 treatment and isolation centres have been understudied in Africa. We estimated the prevalence of depression and anxiety and associated risk factors in hospitalized persons with COVID-19. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 489 patients with COVID-19 at the three government-designated treatment and isolation centres in Edo State, Nigeria. The 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) tool were used to assess depression and anxiety respectively. Binary logistic regression was applied to determine risk factors of depression and anxiety. Results Of the 489 participants, 49.1% and 38.0% had depressive and anxiety symptoms respectively. The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and combination of both were 16.2%, 12.9% and 9.0% respectively. Moderate-severe symptoms of COVID-19, ≥14 days in isolation, worrying about the outcome of infection and stigma increased the risk of having depression and anxiety. Additionally, being separated/divorced increased the risk of having depression and having comorbidity increased the risk of having anxiety. Conclusion A substantial proportion of our participants experienced depression, anxiety and a combination of both especially in those who had the risk factors we identified. The findings underscore the need to address these risk factors early in the course of the disease and integrate mental health interventions into COVID-19 management guidelines.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  

Abstract Globally, the prevalence of mental health problems is high and seems to be increasing and it estimated that 10-20% of pregnant women experience poor perinatal mental health. In the future, more children may grow up in families where one or both parents are struggling with mental health problems. Poor mental health is linked to wider determinants of health as low social position increase the risk of poor mental health and may limit access to care. Moreover, poor mental health can negatively impact the social position and resources of individuals and families as well as child health, thus representing an important public health challenge. The foundation of life-long health is laid before birth and in early childhood, and a better understanding of the impact of poor parental health and other determinants of early child health is crucial. This workshop aims to A) offer new insights on the impact of early child health of poor parental health in the context of Denmark, a Nordic welfare state with strong principles of free and equal access to health care services. Also, B) it encourages a discussion about the main challenges and new ways to support families and through this improve short- and long-term child health and potentially also parental health. The knowledge presented as point of departure for discussions, derives from two new Danish studies. One is a qualitative study of the experiences of pregnant women/new parents receiving targeted, community-based perinatal services due to mental health problems. This gives voice to parents' own perspectives of the services they have offered and their lived experiences with poor mental health and parenthood. The other study is the epidemiological CoVer-P project (Children of Vulnerable Parents) based on a cohort of all live-born children born in Denmark 2000-2016 and their parents and a large range of data from Danish nationwide registers. This large cohort have allowed studies that address existing knowledge gabs by examining different severity levels of parental mental health problems, the impact of also the father's mental health and the interaction between mental health and socioeconomic position. The workshop will start with a short introduction and invitation to share thoughts it's topic from the chair (5 min) followed by four 10-minut presentations. First, Frederiksen shares her insights on pregnant women/new parents with mental health problems and their lived experiences. Secondly, Knudsen & Christesen analyse the effect of maternal mental health and socioeconomic position on the risk of preterm birth. Thirdly, Christensen reports new knowledge about perinatal outcomes of infants born to mothers with poor mental health. Fourth, Heuckendorff describes the impact of the mental health as well as socioeconomic position of both mother and father on child morbidity, age 1-6. In the final part of the workshop (15 min), the chair will introduce and moderate a general discussion of aim B with the audience Key messages Share knowledge on how poor parental mental health may affect perinatal and child negatively, presenting an important public health challenge. Raise awareness about the needs and perspective of parents with poor mental health and raise discussion about how to improve services and support.


2011 ◽  
Vol 198 (5) ◽  
pp. 373-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Robertson Blackmore ◽  
Denise Côté-Arsenault ◽  
Wan Tang ◽  
Vivette Glover ◽  
Jonathan Evans ◽  
...  

BackgroundPrenatal loss, the death of a fetus/child through miscarriage or stillbirth, is associated with significant depression and anxiety, particularly in a subsequent pregnancy.AimsThis study examined the degree to which symptoms of depression and anxiety associated with a previous loss persisted following a subsequent successful pregnancy.MethodData were derived from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort, a longitudinal cohort study in the west of England that has followed mothers from pregnancy into the postnatal period. A total of 13 133 mothers reported on the number and conditions of previous perinatal losses and provided self-report measures of depression and anxiety at 18 and 32 weeks' gestation and at 8 weeks and 8, 21 and 33 months postnatally. Controls for pregnancy outcome and obstetric and psychosocial factors were included.ResultsGeneralised estimating equations indicated that the number of previous miscarriages/stillbirths significantly predicted symptoms of depression (β = 0.18, s.e. = 0.07,P<0.01) and anxiety (β = 0.14, s.e. = 0.05,P<0.01) in a subsequent pregnancy, independent of key psychosocial and obstetric factors. This association remained constant across the pre- and postnatal period, indicating that the impact of a previous prenatal loss did not diminish significantly following the birth of a healthy child.ConclusionsDepression and anxiety associated with a previous prenatal loss shows a persisting pattern that continues after the birth of a subsequent (healthy) child. Interventions targeting women with previous prenatal loss may improve the health outcomes of women and their children.


2021 ◽  
pp. 000486742110256
Author(s):  
Getinet Ayano ◽  
Ashleigh Lin ◽  
Berihun Assefa Dachew ◽  
Robert Tait ◽  
Kim Betts ◽  
...  

Objectives: There is limited evidence on the impact of parental mental health problems on offspring’s educational outcomes. We investigated the impact of maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as paternal emotional problems on the educational outcomes of their adolescent and young adult offspring. Methods: We used data from a longitudinal birth cohort recruited between 1989 and 1991 in Australia (the Raine Study). The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale was used to assess maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms, and a self-reported question was used to measure paternal mental health problems. Both were assessed when the offspring was aged 10 years. Outcomes included offspring’s self-reported education attainment—not completing year 10 at age 17, not attending tertiary education at ages 17 and 22 and primary caregiver’s reports of offspring’s academic performance at age 17. Results: A total of 1033, 1307 and 1364 parent–offspring pairs were included in the final analysis exploring the association between parental mental health problems and offspring’s academic performance at school, completing year 10 and attending tertiary education, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, the offspring of mothers with anxiety symptoms were 3.42 times more likely than the offspring of mothers without anxiety symptoms to have poor or below-average academic performance (odds ratio = 3.42; 95% confidence interval = [1.31, 8.92]) and more than 2 times more likely to not attend tertiary education (odds ratio = 2.55; 95% confidence interval = [1.10, 5.5.88]) and not to have completed year 10 (odds ratio = 2.13; 95% confidence interval = [1.04, 4.33]). We found no significant associations between maternal depressive symptoms or paternal emotional problems and offspring educational attainment. Conclusion: Maternal anxiety symptoms, but not depression and paternal emotional problems, are associated with poor educational attainment and achievement in adolescent offspring. The findings highlight that efforts to improve the outcomes of offspring of mothers with anxiety could focus on educational attainment.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Evans ◽  
Jana Kreppner ◽  
Peter J Lawrence

Background: Perfectionism is an important feature of adult psychopathology. In the absence of a prior review of the role of perfectionism in perinatal psychopathology, we aimed to ascertain whether perfectionism was associated with symptoms of maternal perinatal depression and anxiety. Method: We followed PRISMA guidance (PROSPERO: 42019143369 ), estimated weighted effect sizes and tested possible moderators: timing (pre or post- natal), scales used to measure constructs, infant gender, temperament and age; and rated study quality. Results: 14 studies met eligibility criteria. Perfectionism as a whole, and the perfectionistic concerns dimension, were moderately correlated with common maternal perinatal mental health difficulties r= 0.32 (95% Confidence Interval = 0.23 to 0.41). In sub-group analyses, perfectionistic concerns were associated with depression (r=.35, 95% CI = 0.26 – 0.43). We found no evidence of significant moderation of associations. Limitations: Included studies had methodological and conceptual limitations. Studies inconsistently examined both perfectionistic concerns and strivings, nor anxiety as well as depression. Conclusions: Perfectionism, especially perfectionistic concerns, appears to be an important feature of common maternal perinatal mental health problems. While further research is warranted, screening and identification of perfectionism in the perinatal period may help focus resources for intervention, reducing the prevalence of perinatal mental health difficulties.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ole Andre Solbakken ◽  
Omid V. Ebrahimi ◽  
Asle Hoffart ◽  
Jon T. Monsen ◽  
Sverre Urnes Johnson

Background: Central components of psychological functioning, such as difficulties in emotion regulation and interpersonal problems are likely to have been substantially impacted by COVID-19 and the amelioration measures of societal lock-down and social distancing. In turn, these factors are likely to predict mental health outcomes, such as symptoms of depression and anxiety throughout the pandemic and beyond. Methods: To investigate this issue, we conducted an internet-based survey with 10,061 responders at the height of lock-down (T1). After social distancing measures had been eased (T2), 4,936 responders (49.1%) completed the survey again. Results: Emotion regulation difficulties, interpersonal problems, and symptoms of depression and anxiety decreased from T1 to T2, but changes were minor. After controlling for age and gender, emotion regulation- and interpersonal difficulties were associated with anxiety and depression throughout the study period, and changes in all domains occurred in concert. More extensive problems with emotion regulation at T1 predicted greater reductions in both symptom domains as amelioration measures were eased, while the converse was true for interpersonal problems. Furthermore, the impact of initial emotion regulation difficulties on subsequent changes in both anxiety- and depressive symptoms was dependent on the level of interpersonal difficulties, so that high interpersonal problem load at T1 reversed the effect of emotion regulation difficulties on symptom development. Conclusions: The results suggest that emotion regulation- and interpersonal difficulties are highly central to mental health during the pandemic, and may be important targets for remediation to reduce mental health problems throughout the course of the pandemic and beyond.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Daniels ◽  
Emily Arden-Close ◽  
Andrew Mayers

Abstract Background: Research focusing on paternal mental health is limited, especially regarding the impact of the experience of poor mental health in the perinatal period. For example, little is known about the experiences of men who witness their partner’s traumatic birth and the subsequent impact on the father’s mental health. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore fathers’ experiences of witnessing a traumatic birth, how these experiences impacted their wellbeing, and what support they received during and following the traumatic birth. Methods: Sixty-one participants were recruited via targeted social media to complete an anonymous online qualitative questionnaire regarding their birth trauma experience. Eligible participants were aged eighteen or over, resided in the UK and had witnessed their partner’s traumatic birth (that did not result in loss of life). Thematic analysis was used to analyse the questionnaire data. Results: Three main themes were identified: ‘fathers’ understanding of the experience’ (subthemes: nothing can prepare you for it; merely a passenger; mixed experiences with staff; not about me); ‘life after birth trauma’ (subthemes: manhood after birth; inability to be happy; impact on relationships); and ‘the support fathers received vs what they wanted’ (subthemes: prenatal support; birth support; and postnatal support). Conclusions: Fathers reported that witnessing their partner’s traumatic birth had a significant impact on them. They felt this affected their mental health and relationships long into the postnatal period. However, there is no nationally recognised support in place for fathers to use as a result of their experiences. The participants attributed this to being perceived as less important than women in the postnatal period, and maternity services’ perceptions of the father more generally. Implications include ensuring support is available for mother and father following a traumatic birth, with additional staff training geared towards the father’s role.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Colette R. Hirsch ◽  
Frances Meeten ◽  
Calum Gordon ◽  
Jill M. Newby ◽  
Debra Bick ◽  
...  

Background Repetitive negative thinking (RNT; e.g., worry about the future, rumination about the past) and the tendency to interpret ambiguous information in negative ways (interpretation bias) are cognitive processes that play a maintaining role in anxiety and depression, and recent evidence has demonstrated that interpretation bias maintains RNT. In the context of perinatal mental health, RNT has received minimal research attention (despite the fact that it predicts later anxiety and depression), and interpretation bias remains unstudied (despite evidence that it maintains depression and anxiety which are common in this period). Method We investigated the relationship between RNT, interpretation bias and psychopathology (depression, anxiety) in a pregnant sample (n = 133). We also recruited an age-matched sample of non-pregnant women (n = 104), to examine whether interpretation bias associated with RNT emerges for ambiguous stimuli regardless of its current personal relevance (i.e., pregnancy or non-pregnancy-related). Results As predicted, for pregnant women, negative interpretation bias, RNT, depression and anxiety were all positively associated. Interpretation bias was evident to the same degree for material that was salient (pregnancy-related) and non-salient (general), and pregnant and non-pregnant women did not differ. RNT was associated with interpretation bias for all stimuli and across the full sample. Conclusion Our findings highlight the need to further investigate the impact of interpretation bias in pregnant women, and test the effectiveness of interventions which promote positive interpretations in reducing RNT in the perinatal period.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (E) ◽  
pp. 1553-1559
Author(s):  
I. D. Al-Hasani ◽  
H. S. Salih ◽  
A. T. Abdul Wahid ◽  
Mohammed Jabarah

BACKGROUND: Mental health problems are reflected and linked to human behavior in many aspects. Medical students are susceptible to a wide variety of events that compromise their mental well-being, social life as well as their academic achievements. AIM: This study aimed to find the impact of social support on medical students’ behavior in Iraq via assessing their depression, anxiety, and stress status. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey-based study targeted all medical students in Iraq. The employed questionnaires covered mental health status of participants by evaluating their perceptions of depression, anxiety, and stress using. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Analysis System. RESULTS: The study revealed a significant influence of social support on students’ perceptions of depression and anxiety, but not of their perception of stress. CONCLUSION: Lending social support to medical student is crucial to improve their depression and anxiety with all the positive results that the support brings to their behavior and social life. However, they need more than the social support to keep them safe from academic and daily life stressors.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 2009
Author(s):  
Imane Es-safi ◽  
Hamza Mechchate ◽  
Amal Amaghnouje ◽  
Omkulthom Mohamed Al Kamaly ◽  
Fatima Zahra Jawhari ◽  
...  

Depression and anxiety are major mental health problems in all parts of the world. These illnesses are associated with a number of risk factors, including oxidative stress. Psychotropic drugs of a chemical nature have demonstrated several side effects that elevated the impact of those illnesses. Faced with this situation, natural products appear to be a promising alternative. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of the Petroselinum sativum polyphenols in vivo, as well as its correlated antioxidant properties in vitro. Anxiolytic activity of the extract (50 and 100 mg/kg) was evaluated using the open field and the light-dark chamber tests, while the antidepressant activity was evaluated using the forced swimming test. The antioxidant activity of the extract was evaluated by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical test and the FRAP (iron-reducing capacity) test. The phenolic extract showed very powerful anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects, especially at a dose of 100 mg/kg, decreasing the depressive behavior in mice (decreased immobility time) and also the anxiolytic behavior (tendency for discovery in the center and illuminated areas) better even than those of paroxetine and bromazepam (classic drugs) concomitant with those results the extract also showed an important antioxidant capacity. These preliminary results suggest that Petroselinum sativum exhibits anxiolytic and antidepressant potential for use as a complement or independent phytomedicine to treat depression and anxiety.


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