scholarly journals Perinatal Distress and Depression in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Australian Women: The Role of Psychosocial and Obstetric Factors

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (16) ◽  
pp. 2945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Ogbo ◽  
Osita Kingsley Ezeh ◽  
Mansi Dhami ◽  
Sabrina Naz ◽  
Sarah Khanlari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Perinatal Mental Health ◽  
Culturally And Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Postnatal Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Antenatal Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Obstetric Factors

Perinatal distress and depression can have significant impacts on both the mother and baby. The present study investigated psychosocial and obstetric factors associated with perinatal distress and depressive symptoms among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Australian women in Sydney, New South Wales. The study used retrospectively linked maternal and child health data from two Local Health Districts in Australia (N = 25,407). Perinatal distress was measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS, scores of 10–12) and depressive symptoms, with EPDS scores of 13 or more. Multivariate multinomial logistic regression models were used to investigate the association between psychosocial and obstetric factors with perinatal distress and depressive symptoms. The prevalence of perinatal distress and depressive symptoms among CALD Australian women was 10.1% for antenatal distress; 7.3% for antenatal depressive symptoms; 6.2% for postnatal distress and 3.7% for postnatal depressive symptoms. Antenatal distress and depressive symptoms were associated with a lack of partner support, intimate partner violence, maternal history of childhood abuse and being known to child protection services. Antenatal distress and depressive symptoms were strongly associated with postnatal distress and depressive symptoms. Higher socioeconomic status had a protective effect on antenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms. Our study suggests that current perinatal mental health screening and referral for clinical assessment is essential, and also supports a re-examination of perinatal mental health policy to ensure access to culturally responsive mental health care that meets patients’ needs.

scholarly journals Speaking Softly and Listening Hard: The Process of Involving Young Voices from a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse School in Child Health Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 5808
Author(s):  
Nora Samir ◽  
Antonio Mendoza Diaz ◽  
Michael Hodgins ◽  
Simone Matic ◽  
Samira Bawden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Health Priorities ◽  
Culturally And Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Advisory Group ◽  
Student Preference ◽  
Research Stream ◽  
New Research

The involvement of young people in the planning of research continues to be rare, particularly for young people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. This paper describes our experience in establishing a Youth Research Advisory Group (YRAG) in South West Sydney (SWS), including barriers and successful strategies. One hundred and fifteen students between school Years 7 and 12 (ages 11–18) took part in at least one of five sessions between 2019 and 2021. In total, we carried out 26 YRAG sessions, with between five and 30 students in each. Sessions focused on mapping the health priorities of the participants and co-developing research project proposals related to their health priorities. Our work with students revealed that their main areas of concern were mental health and stress. This led to material changes in our research strategy, to include “Mental Health” as a new research stream and co-develop new mental health-related projects with the students. Important strategies that enabled our research included maintaining flexibility to work seamlessly with organisational and individual preferences, and ensuring our processes were directed by the schools and—most importantly—the students themselves. Strategies such as maintaining an informal context, responding rapidly to student preference, and regularly renegotiating access enabled us to engage with the students to deepen our understanding of their experiences.

scholarly journals Maternal mental health and infant emotional reactivity: a 20-year two-cohort study of preconception and perinatal exposures

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 827-837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Spry ◽  
Margarita Moreno-Betancur ◽  
Denise Becker ◽  
Helena Romaniuk ◽  
John B. Carlin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Emotional Reactivity ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Maternal Mental Health ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Prior Exposure ◽  
Differential Sensitivity ◽  
Perinatal Mental Health ◽  
Pregnancy And Postpartum

AbstractBackgroundMaternal mental health during pregnancy and postpartum predicts later emotional and behavioural problems in children. Even though most perinatal mental health problems begin before pregnancy, the consequences of preconception maternal mental health for children's early emotional development have not been prospectively studied.MethodsWe used data from two prospective Australian intergenerational cohorts, with 756 women assessed repeatedly for mental health problems before pregnancy between age 13 and 29 years, and during pregnancy and at 1 year postpartum for 1231 subsequent pregnancies. Offspring infant emotional reactivity, an early indicator of differential sensitivity denoting increased risk of emotional problems under adversity, was assessed at 1 year postpartum.ResultsThirty-seven percent of infants born to mothers with persistent preconception mental health problems were categorised as high in emotional reactivity, compared to 23% born to mothers without preconception history (adjusted OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.4–3.1). Ante- and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms were similarly associated with infant emotional reactivity, but these perinatal associations reduced somewhat after adjustment for prior exposure. Causal mediation analysis further showed that 88% of the preconception risk was a direct effect, not mediated by perinatal exposure.ConclusionsMaternal preconception mental health problems predict infant emotional reactivity, independently of maternal perinatal mental health; while associations between perinatal depressive symptoms and infant reactivity are partially explained by prior exposure. Findings suggest that processes shaping early vulnerability for later mental disorders arise well before conception. There is an emerging case for expanding developmental theories and trialling preventive interventions in the years before pregnancy.

Characteristics of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Mental Health Clients

2012 ◽  
pp. 2689-2729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigar G. Khawaja ◽  
Rebecca McCarthy ◽  
Vivienne Braddock ◽  
Michael Dunne
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Culturally And Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Mental Health Clients

The mental health of culturally and linguistically diverse offenders – what do we know?

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 438-441
Author(s):  
Arran Rose ◽  
Stephane M Shepherd ◽  
James R P Ogloff
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Culturally And Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Health Service Providers ◽  
Health Disorders ◽  
Prison Populations

Objective: A key challenge facing justice health service providers is addressing and treating the high rates of mental illness among offenders. It is well documented that rates of mental illness are substantially higher within prison populations compared to the general population. As such, the need to provide ongoing treatment to prisoners experiencing mental health issues is of fundamental importance. Prisoners experiencing mental health disorders are more likely to have poorer social outcomes on release, including a greater likelihood of recidivism and poorer health outcomes. The growing numbers of justice-involved individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds signal the need for justice systems to adapt to the changing demographic. Conclusions: In this commentary, we argue that greater efforts to explore the nature and prevalence of mental illness among CALD groups in custody, where such concerns are often intertwined with additional complex personal, environmental and historical criminogenic risk factors, are desperately needed to improve system responses and reduce recidivism.

scholarly journals The Rise of Pregnancy Apps and the Implications for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Women: Narrative Review (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo-Anne Patricia Hughson ◽  
J Oliver Daly ◽  
Robyn Woodward-Kron ◽  
John Hajek ◽  
David Story
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Data Storage ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Information Provision ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Culturally And Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Local Health

BACKGROUND Pregnancy apps are a booming global industry, with most pregnant women in high-income countries now using them. From the perspective of health care and health information provision, this is both encouraging and unsettling; the demand indicates a clear direction for the development of future resources, but it also underscores the importance of processes ensuring access, reliability, and quality control. OBJECTIVE This review provides an overview of current literature on pregnancy apps and aims at describing (1) the ways in which apps are used by women, in general, and by those of a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background; (2) the utility and quality of information provided; and (3) areas where more research, development, and oversight are needed. METHODS We chose a narrative review methodology for the study and performed a structured literature search including studies published between 2012 and 2017. Searches were performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases. Studies were identified for inclusion using two separate search criteria and strategies: (1) studies on pregnancy apps and pregnant women’s use of these apps and (2) studies on CALD pregnant women and their use of technology for accessing information on and services for pregnancy. Overall, we selected 38 studies. RESULTS We found that pregnancy apps were principally used to access pregnancy health and fetal development information. Data storage capability, Web-based features or personalized tools, and social media features were also popular app features sought by women. Lower rates of the pregnancy app uptake were indicated among lower-income and non-English-speaking women. Preliminary evidence indicates that a combination of technological, health literacy, and language issues may result in lower uptake of pregnancy apps by these groups; however, further investigation is required. A marked limitation of the health app industry is lack of regulation in a commercially dominated field, making it difficult for users to assess the reliability of the information being presented. Health professionals and users alike indicate that given the choice, they would prefer using pregnancy apps that are relevant to their local health care context and come from a trusted source. Evidence indicates a need for greater health professional and institutional engagement in the app development, as well as awareness of and guidance for women’s use of these resources. CONCLUSIONS This is the first review of pregnancy app use, types of information provided, and features preferred by pregnant women in general and by those of a CALD background in particular. It indicates the demand for access to accurate information that is relevant to users, their community, and their associated health services. Given the popularity of pregnancy apps, such apps have enormous potential to be used for the provision of accurate, evidence-based health information.

scholarly journals Individual and contextual factors of nulliparas’ levels of depression, anxiety and fear of childbirth in the last trimester of pregnancy: intimate partner attachment a key factor?

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 112-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Polona Rus Prelog ◽  
Maja Rus Makovec ◽  
Marijana Vidmar Šimic ◽  
Tanja Premru Sršen ◽  
Mitja Perat
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Attachment Anxiety ◽  
Fear Of Childbirth ◽  
Third Trimester ◽  
Mental Health Functioning ◽  
The Third ◽  
Health Functioning ◽  
Antenatal Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Anxiety And Fear

Abstract Background Depression, anxiety and fear of childbirth have numerous consequences for women and their developing offspring. Insecure attachment in close adult relationships is considered to be a risk factor for depressive symptoms. This study aims to gain further insight into the risk factors for depressive and anxiety symptoms in nulliparous women during the third trimester of pregnancy regarding the main contextual relations, with an emphasis on partner attachment. Methods A group of 325 nulliparas in the third trimester of pregnancy was enrolled in a childbirth preparation program. The following instruments were applied: Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised, the Edinburgh Depression Scale, the Zung Anxiety Scale, and a questionnaire regarding fear of childbirth. Three separate multiple linear regression models were built to explore the associations between demographic, social and attachment variables and mental health functioning. Results Highly educated nulliparas and those with a higher level of co-workers’ emotional support experienced a lower level of anxiety when other predictors in the model were held constant. Of all the predictors in the model, only attachment anxiety and co-workers’ support were statistically significantly associated with the level of depression. Attachment anxiety was significantly associated with all three mental health indicators (level of depression, anxiety and fear of childbirth). Conclusions The results suggest that intimate attachment anxiety could be a key contextual factor for mood and anxiety mental health functioning during the third trimester of pregnancy, accessible to change. Our results could facilitate the formulation of interventions for reducing antenatal depressive symptoms.

scholarly journals Determinants of Exclusive Breastfeeding Cessation in the Early Postnatal Period among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Australian Mothers

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Akpojene Ogbo ◽  
Osita Kingsley Ezeh ◽  
Sarah Khanlari ◽  
Sabrina Naz ◽  
Praween Senanayake ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Exclusive Breastfeeding ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Postnatal Period ◽  
Early Postnatal Period ◽  
Culturally And Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Breastfeeding Intention ◽  
Skin Contact ◽  
Skin To Skin

There are limited epidemiological data on exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Australian mothers to advocate for targeted and/or culturally-appropriate interventions. This study investigated the determinants of EBF cessation in the early postnatal period among CALD Australian mothers in Sydney, Australia. The study used linked maternal and child health data from two local health districts in Australia (N = 25,407). Prevalence of maternal breastfeeding intention, skin-to-skin contact, EBF at birth, discharge, and the early postnatal period (1–4 weeks postnatal), were estimated. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to investigate determinants of EBF cessation in the early postnatal period. Most CALD Australian mothers had the intention to breastfeed (94.7%). Skin-to-skin contact (81.0%), EBF at delivery (91.0%), and at discharge (93.0%) were high. EBF remained high in the early postnatal period (91.4%). A lack of prenatal breastfeeding intention was the strongest determinant of EBF cessation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 23.76, 95% CI: 18.63–30.30, for mothers with no prenatal breastfeeding intention and aOR = 6.15, 95% CI: 4.74–7.98, for those undecided). Other significant determinants of EBF cessation included a lack of partner support, antenatal and postnatal depression, intimate partner violence, low socioeconomic status, caesarean birth, and young maternal age (<20 years). Efforts to improve breastfeeding among women of CALD backgrounds in Australia should focus on women with vulnerabilities to maximise the benefits of EBF.

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