Most empirically researched interventions for postpartum depression (PPD) tend to target mothers' depression alone. Harmful effects of PPD on physical and mental health of both mother and child has ...led researchers to investigate the impact of interventions on PPD and child outcomes together. So far, the evidence is limited regarding how these interventions compare with those focusing only on mothers' depression. This review compares the effectiveness of PPD-improving interventions focusing only on mothers with those focusing on mother and child together.
Nine electronic databases were searched. Thirty-seven studies evaluating mother-focused (n = 30) and mother-child focused interventions (n = 7) were included. Under each category, three theoretical approaches-psychological, psychosocial and mixed-were compared using standardized qualitative procedures. The review's primary outcome was maternal PPD.
A higher proportion of mother-focussed interventions 20/30 (66.7%) brought significant reduction in PPD outcomes as compared to a lower proportion of mother-child focused interventions 4/7 (57.14%). Mother-focused mixed approaches 3/3 (100%) performed better in improving PPD than psychological 16/24 (67%) or psychosocial approaches 1/3 (33.3%) alone. Amongst mother-child focused interventions, psychosocial approaches performed well with two-thirds demonstrating positive effects on PPD.
The evidence strongly favors mother-focused interventions for improving PPD with mixed interventions being more effective. Psychosocial approaches performed better with PPD once child-related elements were added, and also seemed best for child outcomes. Psychological approaches were most practiced and effective for PPD, irrespective of the intervention's focus. Further trials are needed to unpack intervention components that improve PPD and increase uptake, especially in lower-and middle-income countries.
Adolescent pregnancy is an important issue in terms of reproductive health. Adolescent mothers have to overcome two crises at the same time: motherhood and maturity. Childbirth experience and ...posttraumatic stress disorder may influence the mother's perception of her infant and postpartum care behaviors.
This cross-sectional study was conducted on 202 adolescent mothers referring to health centers in Tabriz and its suburbs between May and December, 2022. Data were collected by PTSD Symptom Scale, Childbirth Experience Questionnaire 2.0, and Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning. The association between childbirth experience, posttraumatic stress disorder and maternal functioning was assessed by multivariate analysis.
After adjusting the effect of socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics, the score of maternal functioning among mothers without posttraumatic stress disorder was statistically significantly higher than mothers with posttraumatic stress disorder diagnosis β (95% CI) = 2.30 (0.39 to 4.20); p = 0.031. The score of maternal functioning increased with the increase in the childbirth experience score β (95% CI) = 7.34 (3.87 to 10.81); p < 0.001. The score of maternal functioning among mothers with wanted sex of baby was statistically significantly higher than unwanted sex of baby β (95% CI) = 2.70 (0.37 to 5.02); p = 0.023.
Healthcare professionals should pay special attention to improving maternal functioning among adolescent mothers. One of the important actions can be to create a positive experience of childbirth for avoiding of posttraumatic stress disorder following birth and counseling with mothers who stated sex of fetus is undesired.
Fertility in recent decades in European countries such as Norway, Spain or United Kingdom has declined, while in others such as Portugal, it has remained relatively constant, and in others such as ...Germany fertility rated have risen. The determinants of this change in reproductive pattern can be explained by the cultural, social, and economic changes that took place in our society. Objective: to identify the principal reasons and independent determinants associated with the postponement of motherhood and document any association between the time taken to achieve successful pregnancy and maternal age, as well as the level of anxiety of these women.
An observational study, including 326 women, was conducted in Spain with primiparous women, in which data was collected on sociodemographic, health, and pregnancy-related factors. Comparison of means (t-test or analysis of variance) and the analysis of covariance was used to estimate adjusted means for potential confounders.
Women in stable relationships became mothers at older ages (31.83±0.29) than those who were not (28.75±0.78) (p<0.001). Women who delayed motherhood for medical reasons had a mean age of 34.15 ± 0.88 years, compared to a mean of 30.52±0.36 years for personal reasons, and 27.51±1.39 years for other reasons. Mothers with an older age had a higher level of anxiety (p<0.05). The average time required to achieve pregnancy increased as maternal age increased, with an average time of 24 months for women with a mean age of 35.23±0.71 years compared to <3 months for women with a mean age of 29.44±0.39 years. Women ≥ 35 years were more likely to need medical assistance to achieve pregnancy (aOR = 12.07, 95% CI: 1.50-97.05; p = 0.019).
Medical reasons were among those cited for delaying motherhood. The postponement of motherhood was associated with difficulty to achieve a successful pregnancy and a higher level of anxiety.
Postnatal depression is a significant public health issue which may escalate and lead to adverse outcomes for women, infants, their family and the wider society. The aim of this review was to examine ...the effectiveness and experiences of mother-led infant massage on symptoms of maternal postnatal depression and to synthesise these findings to inform policy, practice and further research.
A systematic search of five academic databases was conducted: CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Allied and Complementary Medicine Database in February 2023 with no date or geographic limiters set owing to the paucity of research on this subject area. Quality appraisal was undertaken using the Joanna Briggs Institute quality appraisal tools and all included RCT's were assessed separately using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. Narrative synthesis was used to analyse the data.
A total of (n = 323) studies were returned of which (n = 8) met the inclusion criteria for the review. This review identified a total sampling of (n = 521) women with maternal postnatal depression. The results are presented under three themes: 1) the effectiveness of mother-led infant massage on symptoms of postnatal depression; 2) women's experiences of mother-led infant massage; and 3) the effects of mother-led infant massage on the mother-infant relationship.
The review highlights women who used infant massage displayed a reduction in symptoms of postnatal depression, improved mother-infant interactions and improved self-efficacy in addition to benefits for infants. Public Health Nurse/Community Midwife-led infant massage may help to relieve such symptoms and empower women.
In a sample (n = 235) of 30-, 42-, and 54-month-olds, the relations among parenting, effortful control (EC), impulsivity, and children's committed compliance were examined. Parenting was assessed ...with mothers' observed sensitivity and warmth; EC was measured by mothers' and caregivers' reports, as well as a behavioral task; impulsivity was assessed by mothers' and caregivers' reports; and committed compliance was observed during a cleanup and prohibition task, as well as measured by adults' reports. Using path modeling, there was evidence that 30-month parenting predicted high EC and low impulsivity a year later when the stability of the outcomes was controlled, and there was evidence that 30- and 42-month EC, but not impulsivity, predicted higher committed compliance a year later, controlling for earlier levels of the outcomes. Moreover, 42-month EC predicted low impulsivity a year later. Fixed effects models, which are not biased by omitted time-invariant variables, also were conducted and showed that 30-month parenting still predicted EC a year later, and 42-month EC predicted later low impulsivity. Findings are discussed in terms of the importance of differentiating between effortful control and impulsivity and the potential mediating role of EC in the relations between parenting and children's committed compliance.
Aims and objectives
To describe the perspectives of expectant mothers and fathers on fathers' involvement during pregnancy.
Background
Becoming a father is a major life event and paternal involvement ...during pregnancy has a positive influence on the family. However, research into both expectant mothers' and fathers' perspectives on fathers' involvement during pregnancy is relatively scarce.
Design
A descriptive qualitative study was used.
Methods
Thirty expectant parents (20 women and 10 men) were interviewed either as part of one of four focus groups or in an individual interview. Qualitative content analysis was performed on the interview transcripts.
Results
A theme of ‘Paddling upstream’ emerged as an expression of the latent content of the interviews concerning perspectives on fathers' involvement. Five sub‐themes described the manifest content: trying to participate, trying to be understanding, trying to learn, trying to be a calming influence and trying to find a balanced life. Expectant parents suggested several ways to improve fathers' involvement and to meet parents' need for shared involvement.
Conclusion
Expectant mothers and fathers wanted the father to be more involved in the pregnancy. Although fathers attempted different strategies, they did not always perceive what was expected of them and encountered many barriers as they tried to navigate through this unique experience. The best support for the father was the mother. Expectant parents wanted their healthcare to include the father more thoroughly and to focus on the whole family.
Relevance to clinical practice
Prenatal care professionals can overcome barriers that prevent paternal involvement. Although fathers are not able to engage in the pregnancy on the same level as the mother, we suggest that their specific needs also be recognised through an increased awareness of gender norms in healthcare.
American working conditions have deteriorated over the last 40 years. One commonly-noted change is the rise of nonstandard and unstable work schedules. Such schedules, especially when held by ...mothers, negatively affect family functioning and the well-being and development of children; they have implications for the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage. This article describes and compares the working schedules—in terms of type, duration, and variability—of American mothers in 1990 and 2012 in an attempt to assess whether nonstandard and unstable schedules are growing more common. Analyses demonstrate that evening work has increased in prevalence for single mothers but not for their partnered peers. Mothers in both single-mother and two-partner households experienced considerably greater within-week schedule variability and higher likelihood of weekend work in 2012 than they did in 1990. These changes resulted from widespread shifts in the nature of work, especially affecting less educated mothers.
Objective
This study examines the relationship between telecommuting and gender inequalities in parents' time use at home and on the job before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Background
...Telecommuting is a potential strategy for addressing the competing demands of work and home and the gendered ways in which they play out. Limited evidence is mixed, however, on the implications of telecommuting for mothers' and fathers' time in paid and unpaid work. The massive increase in telecommuting due to COVID‐19 underscores the critical need to address this gap in the literature.
Method
Data from the 2003–2018 American Time Use Survey (N = 12,519) and the 2020 Current Population Survey (N = 83,676) were used to estimate the relationship between telecommuting and gender gaps in parents' time in paid and unpaid work before and during the pandemic. Matching and quasi‐experimental methods better approximate causal relationships than prior studies.
Results
Before the pandemic, telecommuting was associated with larger gender gaps in housework and work disruptions but smaller gender gaps in childcare, particularly among couples with two full‐time earners. During the pandemic, telecommuting mothers maintained paid work to a greater extent than mothers working on‐site, whereas fathers' work hours did not differ by work location.
Conclusion
In the context of weak institutional support for parenting, telecommuting may offer mothers a mechanism for maintaining work hours and reducing gender gaps in childcare, while exacerbating inequalities in housework and disruptions to paid work.
OBJECTIVES:To explore the reasons why women stop breastfeeding completely before their infants are six months of age and to identify the factors associated with cessation and the timing of cessation.
...METHODS:For all singleton live newborns born between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009 in two district health authorities in Nova Scotia, Canada, mother's self-reported breastfeeding status was collected at hospital discharge and at five follow-up visits until infants were six months of age. Mothers who stopped breastfeeding before six months were also questioned about the time of weaning and the reason they discontinued all breastfeeding. Eleven categories were created from the open-ended responses women provided. These data were linked with the Nova Scotia Atlee Perinatal Database in order to obtain information on maternal and neonatal characteristics. The relationship between maternal, obstetrical, and neonatal characteristics and each reason for stopping breastfeeding completely were examined.
RESULTS:Of the 500 mothers who stopped breastfeeding completely before six months and provided a reason for discontinuing, the majority (73.6%) stopped within the first six weeks. The most common reasons cited were inconvenience or fatigue associated with breastfeeding (22.6%) and concerns about milk supply (21.6%). Return to work or school was associated with length of time that infants were breastfed: 20% of women who stopped after six weeks citing this as the reason. Most of the reasons, however, were not found to be associated with a specific duration of breastfeeding or with the examined maternal and infant characteristics.
CONCLUSION:This study highlights factors associated with the reasons why women stop breastfeeding completely before six months and how these reasons varied with weaning age. The results will help inform future research aimed at identifying interventions to reduce early breastfeeding cessation.
This study investigated whether interventions for children exposed to intimate partner violence combining parallel groups for children and mothers contribute to positive outcomes for partaking ...mothers. The study included 39 mothers in a long-term within-subject design without a control group in a Swedish naturalistic setting. Maternal psychological health was assessed pre- and posttreatment and at 6-month and 12-month follow-up. Mothers reported medium- to large-sized decrease in psychological symptoms, including symptoms of posttraumatic stress, postintervention (
= < .001 d = 0.45-0.96). During the follow-up period, sustained and further decrease of symptoms was reported (
= < .001
= 0.58-1.60). Mothers also reported decreased exposure to violence. Results indicate that these child-focused programs have major and sustainable positive effects on mothers' psychological health.
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