1. Mental Disorders of Pregnant and Postpartum Women After Earthquakes: A Systematic Review
- Author
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Mei-Che Pang, Xiao-Lian Jiang, Xing-Hui Liu, Jian-Hua Ren, Chung-Lim Vico Chiang, and Bi-Ru Luo
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Time Factors ,Psychological intervention ,Poison control ,Suicide prevention ,Occupational safety and health ,Disasters ,Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic ,Social support ,Pregnancy ,Injury prevention ,Earthquakes ,Humans ,Medicine ,Psychiatry ,Depressive Disorder, Major ,business.industry ,Mental Disorders ,Postpartum Period ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Social Support ,Human factors and ergonomics ,Protective Factors ,Databases, Bibliographic ,Mental health ,Female ,Family Relations ,Pregnant Women ,business - Abstract
ObjectiveThe aim of this review was to systematically search and critique relevant literature on the potential psychological impact of earthquakes on peripartum women to synthesize existing knowledge for further action.MethodsA search through 5 databases was conducted for relevant publications in English, and the results were screened through a set of inclusion and exclusion processes.ResultsEight articles were included. Depression and posttraumatic stress disorder were the most often reported mental disorders. Some factors (eg, family relationships and social support) were associated with mental disorders suffered by peripartum women after earthquakes. An assessment of the quality of the studies showed that most did not have high levels of evidence because of their cross-sectional design and limitations.ConclusionsAmong the factors that influenced the mental health of pregnant and postpartum women after earthquakes, family function appears to be one of the most important and deserves further exploration. Other mental health conditions such as minor psychiatric disorders should also be studied for their relationship with disasters and pregnancy. Well-designed studies are needed to enable a better understanding of the relationship between earthquakes and the mental disorders of peripartum women so that the most appropriate interventions can be proposed. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2014;0:1–11)
- Published
- 2014
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