Archives of women's mental health
-
Arch Womens Ment Health · Oct 2009
Service satisfaction on discharge from a psychiatric mother and baby unit: a representative patient survey.
In this representative survey of 57 women before discharge from a psychiatric mother and baby unit satisfaction levels were high for most aspects of the service. However, the qualitative part of the study highlighted issues that were not captured by completion of the satisfaction questionnaire. ⋯ The latter aspect requires further exploration. For future surveys we recommend to use quantitative as well as qualitative methodology.
-
Arch Womens Ment Health · Jun 2009
Mother's stress, mood and emotional involvement with the infant: 3 months before and 3 months after childbirth.
Adverse effects of maternal anxiety and depression are well documented, namely on the foetus/child behaviour and development, but not as much attention has been given to the mother's emotional involvement with the offspring. To study mother's prenatal and postpartum stress, mood and emotional involvement with the infant, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale were filled in and cortisol levels were measured, 3 months before and 3 months after childbirth, in a sample of 91 Portuguese women. From pregnancy to the postpartum period, mother's cortisol levels, anxiety and emotional involvement toward the child decrease. ⋯ Mother's depression predicted a worse emotional involvement before childbirth, while mother's anxiety predicted a worse emotional involvement with the infant after childbirth. Additionally, pregnant women with a worse emotional involvement with the offspring are at risk of poorer emotional involvement with the infant and higher anxiety and depression at 3 months postpartum. It should be given more attention to mother's poor emotional involvement with the offspring during pregnancy, as it interferes with her emotional involvement with the infant and her psychological adjustment 3 months after childbirth.
-
Arch Womens Ment Health · Jun 2009
Age and distress of women--results of a representative population-based study.
Little research has been carried out on prevalence rates of distress (e.g. depression, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), hopelessness, and burnout) of women in different age groups. The aims of this study were to measure the prevalence rate of depression, posttraumatic stress symptoms, hopelessness, and burnout among women and to clarify the associations between age groups and distress. Cross sectional epidemiological study on women in Sweden (n = 6,000, aged 18-64 years, response rate 64.1%). ⋯ Both symptoms were higher in the youngest age group, compared to the eldest age group (posttraumatic stress symptoms: OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.2, 2.1; burnout: OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.1-2.1). Younger women show higher prevalence rates of PTSS and burnout compared to elder women. The higher prevalence rates of PTSS and burnout among younger women may be associated with job strain and/or with violent life events.
-
Arch Womens Ment Health · Dec 2008
Comparative StudyInfluence of oxytocin or epidural analgesia on personality profile in breastfeeding women: a comparative study.
Women undergo physiological and psychological changes during pregnancy, labor and lactation. The psychological adaptations can be affective, cognitive and behavioral and can be measured by dimensional personality instruments. This study aims to compare (1) the personality profile in mothers after birth with a normative group of non-lactating women and to examine (2) whether the personality profile differs 2 days, 2 months and 6 months after birth between mothers who have been exposed to epidural anesthesia, oxytocin administration or neither. ⋯ ANCOVA analysis revealed that OT infusion, over and above the effects of EDA, was associated with decreased levels of several anxiety and aggression subscales. We conclude that women who received exogenous oxytocin during labor show similar positive personality traits during breastfeeding such as reduction in anxiety and aggression and increasing socialization, including maternal behavior, that have previously been ascribed to endogenous oxytocin. More importantly, these effects were not seen at 2 days postpartum in women who received epidural anesthesia during labor.
-
Arch Womens Ment Health · Dec 2008
A psychosocial risk assessment model (PRAM) for use with pregnant and postpartum women in primary care settings.
Recognition of high rates of mental health morbidity and mortality that affect women during the perinatal period has prompted the development of psychosocial risk assessment programs. Designed to identify women, at risk, during routine health checks and delivered by primary care health service providers, these fit within a primary prevention and early intervention strategic approach to the reduction of perinatal mental illness and reflect an integrated approach to perinatal health services delivery. This paper describes the development and use of the psychosocial risk assessment model (PRAM) at the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney, Australia. ⋯ The PRAM offers a conceptual framework, methods and measures for brief psychosocial assessment with clinical and research applications. Postpartum follow up studies of women assessed during pregnancy have commenced. Randomized controlled trials and cross-cultural studies are now indicated to strengthen the evidence base for the model.