Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Oct 2023
Career Advancement Among Women Physicians in Nine Academic Medicine Specialties.
Objective: Gender parity lags in academic medicine. We applied the Rank Equity Index (REI) to compare the longitudinal progress of women's academic medicine careers. We hypothesized that women have different rank parity in promotion by specialty based on the proportion of women in the specialty. ⋯ No specialty demonstrated parity in advancement based on sex for the assistant professor-to-associate professor or associate professor-to-professor transitions. Conclusion: Gender inequity in advancement is evident in academic medicine starting at the assistant professor-to-associate professor stage, regardless of overall proportion of women in the specialty. This suggests a common set of barriers to career advancement of women faculty in academic medicine that must be addressed starting at the early career stage.
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Journal of women's health · Oct 2023
Randomized Controlled TrialUnderstanding Perinatal Depression Care Gaps by Examining Care Access and Barriers in Perinatal Individuals With and Without Psychiatric History.
Background: Depression affects one in seven perinatal individuals and remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. Individuals with a psychiatric history are at an even greater risk of perinatal depression, but it is unclear how their experiences with the depression care pathway may differ from individuals without a psychiatric history. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis evaluating care access and barriers to care in perinatal individuals who screened positive for depression using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (N = 280). ⋯ Conclusions: Perinatal individuals without a prepregnancy psychiatric history were less likely to be screened, referred, and treated for depression. Differences in screening and referrals resulted in missed opportunities for care, reinforcing the urgent need for universal mental health screening and psychoeducation during the perinatal period. Clinical Trial Registration No.: NCT02935504.
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Journal of women's health · Oct 2023
Development of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale-United States: An Updated Perinatal Mental Health Screening Tool Using a Respectful Care and Trauma-Informed Approach.
Purpose: To present the development protocol of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale-United States (EPDS-US), an adapted version of the EPDS, that is inclusive and easy to understand for U. S. populations and incorporates a trauma-informed approach to perinatal mental health (PMH). Methods: Our team adapted the wording of the original EPDS to be more linguistically appropriate for current use with U. ⋯ The EPDS-US removes preidentified barriers patients experience related to PMH screenings. Conclusions: The EPDS-US, a trauma-informed and respectful care screening tool, may lead to earlier recognition of symptoms, may allow for more person-focused treatment plans, and may serve as a platform for a culture change in addressing PMH, particularly when the screening tool is accompanied by open conversation, education, and resources. Validation studies are required at this time and this team welcomes direct communication with research and clinical sites interested in doing so.
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Journal of women's health · Oct 2023
Parity and Risk of Dementia in Women: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.
Objective: Reproductive factors, including parity, may contribute to dementia risk, due to hormonal, physiological, social, and demographic factors. We hypothesized that higher parity would be associated with increased dementia risk. Materials and Methods: We utilized data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) community-based cohort study. ⋯ This association was present in women born from 1924 to 1934, but not in women born in 1935 or later (p-interaction <0.001). Conclusion: We found an inverted U-shaped association of parity with dementia risk. This effect was modified by birth cohort, suggesting that the association may depend on demographic and sociocultural factors.