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Author(s): Alicia Remartínez-Hamed [sup.1] , María Ángeles Pérez-Morente [sup.2] , María Adelaida Álvarez-Serrano [sup.3] , Encarnación Martínez-García [sup.1] [sup.4] , Alberto González-García [sup.1] , Inmaculada García-García [sup.1] , Adelina Martín-Salvador [...], Pregnancy and/or the puerperium involve social, physiological and psychological changes that make women more vulnerable to mental disorders such as anxiety and depression, even more so if these develop in stressful contexts such as the pandemic. The aim of this study is to identify factors associated with the risk of postpartum anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted among postpartum women (n = 69) who gave birth between March 2020 and March 2021 in Melilla, a Spanish cross-border city with Morocco whose borders were closed, making it a confined city. The scales used were the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Results reported an elevated risk of depression (85.5%) and anxiety (63.8%), with severe anxiety reaching 40.6% of cases. Predictors of postpartum depression comprised a personal history of mood disorders ( = 8.421; CI95% = 4.863/11.978) and having been diagnosed with COVID-19 during pregnancy or postpartum ( = 4.488; CI95% = 1.331/7.646). As regards anxiety, it is predicted on the basis of mood antecedents ( = 14.175; CI95% = 7.870/20.479), the fact of having been diagnosed with COVID-19 during pregnancy or postpartum ( = 8.781; CI95% = 2.970/14.592) and the fact of being a multipara ( = 5.513; CI95% = 0.706/10.321). In conclusion, special attention should be paid to women with a history of mood disorders and a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 during pregnancy or postpartum, even more so in the case of multiparous women, because of its impact on mental health during the postpartum period.

Introduction Antenatal depression is very significant because research indicates that there is a risk of potentially devastating adverse consequences for mothers and their families [1]. Inadequate treatment and inappropriate intervention [...], To investigate the association between demo-socio-economic status, obstetric variables, family conflict, social support and antenatal depressive symptoms among 1,609 Chinese women from four regional public hospitals during their second trimester of pregnancy in Chengdu. The vulnerable factors of depressive symptoms were explored in terms of their demo-socio-economic, obstetric, and Chinese family relational aspects, as well as in terms of social support. The women were identified as having depressive symptoms using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Marital conflict and parent-in-law conflict were assessed using the Dyadic Adjustment Scale and the Stryker Adjustment Checklist, respectively. The Interpersonal Support Evaluation List was used to measure the functional aspects of the perceived availability of social support. The prevalence rates of antenatal mild to severe and severe depressive symptoms were 35.9 and 7.3%, respectively. The logistic regression analysis revealed that participants who had been married for a shorter time, had a single source of financial support, a poor marital and mother-in-law relationship, and who lacked social support were more likely to have mild to severe depressive symptoms (P < 0.05). Participants who were younger, who had lived in Chengdu for a shorter period of time, had a shorter duration of marriage, solo financial support, poor marital relationship, and poor social support were more likely to have severe depressive symptoms (P < 0.05). The findings provide important information for prenatal screening, public health and social policies to help in the reduction of antenatal depressive symptoms among the Chengdu population. Keywords Antenatal depressive symptoms * Marital conflict * Parent-in-law conflict * Social support * Chengdu

Children's emergent language develops in a rich context of varied influences afforded by their familial and social environments. Using data collected during a longitudinal prospective service project, this study examined the direct and indirect contributions of parenting knowledge and practices and maternal postnatal depression on emergent language competencies of 198 very young children in high-risk Latino and African/American families in an urban area. The study used the Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory, a constructed measure of risky parenting practices for child well-health, home-safety, and corporal discipline, a constructed measure for children's involvement in literacy oriented activities, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories to build and test a structural equation model with AMOS/SPSS 16. The results provide support for a mediated path model. Parenting knowledge and maternal postnatal depressive symptoms interacted directly and indirectly in influencing risky parental practices and children's exposure in literacy oriented stimulation activities and emergent language. Children's involvement in stimulation activities mediated the effects of parenting and maternal mental health and directly predicted a robust amount children's emergent vocabulary. The model produced similar results for boys and girls, although boys had poorer outcomes. These findings provide empirical evidence that clinical practice and policy efforts are needed for reducing maternal postnatal depression in strengthening parenting efforts and in affording meaningful parent--child interactions and for assuring that children receive adequate exposure to activities that promote language development. Methodological limitations and recommendations for future research are addressed. Keywords Parenting * Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS) * Parent--child interaction * Literacy activities * Emergent language * Path SEM modeling DOI 10.1007/s10826-009-9293-7

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.07.043 Byline: Charlotte Hanlon (a), Rob Whitley (b), Dawit Wondimagegn (c), Atalay Alem (c), Martin Prince (a) Abstract: Sociocultural patterning of the postnatal period in non-Western settings has been hypothesised to protect against postnatal depression. In 2004, in a predominantly rural area of Ethiopia, we conducted 25 in-depth interviews and five focus group discussions with purposively selected participants including perinatal women, fathers, grandmothers, traditional and religious leaders, birth attendants and community leaders. Our main objectives were (1) to examine societal recognition of problematic distress states in the postnatal period and relate this to Western conceptualisations of postnatal depression and (2) to relate the occurrence of distress states to sociocultural patterning of the postnatal period. Inductive analysis was employed to identify salient themes. Participants spontaneously described culturally problematic distress states occurring in the postnatal period, although did not consider them to be illness. Vulnerability and danger of the postnatal period was emphasised, with risk of supernatural attack and physical harm leading to distress states. Participants also spoke of how gender disadvantage and economic strain intersect with cultural patterning of the postnatal period, threatening mental health due to the resulting disappointed expectations and exclusion, as well as exacerbation of pre-existing problems. Cultural dissonance, where a person's beliefs or actions are out of kilter with strong prevailing cultural norms, may be an important risk factor for postnatal distress in rural Ethiopia, where the postnatal period is extensively culturally elaborated. Author Affiliation: (a) King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Health Services and Population Research Department, De Crespigny Park, Camberwell, London SE5 8AF, UK (b) Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center, Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, NH, USA (c) Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Article Note: (footnote) [star] We gratefully thank all participants for contributing their time and energy to the study. In addition, we wish to extend our thanks to all those at the Butajira Rural Health Programme who facilitated this project. The Wellcome Trust is gratefully acknowledged for funding the study through a Research Training Fellowship for Dr Charlotte Hanlon.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.08.039 Byline: Christine Rosemary Everingham (a), Gaynor Heading (b), Linda Connor (a) Keywords: Postnatal depression; Framing; Motherhood; Fatherhood; Communication; Cultural identity; Australia Abstract: Difficulties in communication have been associated with fathers' perceived lack of support for mothers suffering postnatal depression (PND). This paper investigates why the communication of the experience of PND is so difficult and considers how these difficulties might be linked, in part, to the diagnostic process. The study explores, through in-depth interviews, how six Australian couples talked about the new mothers' experience of mild to moderate PND. Framing analysis revealed discrepancies in the couples' explanations of the mothers' PND. The application of the concept of 'framing' has come to the study of mental health by way of Goffman's work on how experience becomes organised. Goffman used the technique of 'frame analysis' to identify and describe the taken-for-granted sociocultural elements that give meaning to a situation. This study identified that mothers and fathers used different frames, with mothers understanding their postnatal experience primarily from within an 'identity' frame and fathers understanding the mothers' experience primarily through a 'psychological' or 'physical hardship' frame. Implications for health service providers are considered. Author Affiliation: (a) University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia (b) University of Sydney, Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health, Australia

The aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between the employment status of new mothers and their depressive symptoms at 6 months postpartum. In order to have a better understanding of these links, we investigated the role that socio-environmental characteristics of new mothers plays in this relationship. Employment status is conceived to be closely linked to the characteristics of new mothers and their environment that constitute some of the well-known risk factors for postpartum depressive disorders. For that reason, the possibility that these characteristics could intervene in the relationship between employment status and depressive symptoms was considered. Three types of links were explored: independent, interactive or indirect relationships. Analysis was performed on a sample of 447 women in one of the four following situations: working, being on maternity leave, being a homemaker or actively seeking employment. Results appear to indicate the presence of an indirect relationship between employment status and depressive symptoms. Women on maternity leave, and, to a lesser degree, working mothers, present characteristics that are associated with a good mental health. Homemakers and women seeking employment, however, seem to be placed in situations associated with depressive symptoms. These results underscore the possibility that employment status could lead to living conditions that have an impact on a new mother's mental health. KEYWORDS. Postpartum depressive disorders, employment status, working mothers

The extent and nature of relationships between mothers is critical to the feelings of psychological and emotional well being following childbirth. A study on mothers experiencing postnatal depression shows that sharing common experiences and relationships with other mothers helps in better understanding of their lives as other mothers enable them to come out of social isolation. Some of the implications of these findings both for further research and policy issues are discussed.

Objective: This study is the second and final phase of a 3-year follow-up study of women who had been admitted with a major depressive episode in the postpartum period, along with their children and partners where present. The effect of a maternal sexual abuse history on the women's well-being and child outcome compared to those women without such a history is highlighted. Method: Forty-five of an original cohort of 56 women were seen with their child where possible, when the child was an average of 36.8 months old. Twenty-two women had no history of sexual abuse, and 23 gave a history of childhood sexual abuse. Women were assessed with respect to well-being, relationships, parenting stress and psychiatric history since recruitment. The child's behavior and cognitive development was also assessed. Results: Women with a history of sexual abuse rated higher depression and anxiety scores (p [is less than] .05), and had greater life stresses (p [is less than] .05). Their partners rated themselves as more comforting and their children as more disturbed (p [is less than] .05). Over time, this group had failed to improve as much as the nonabuse group on these measures. There was no difference in child cognitive scores between groups. Conclusions: A history of sexual abuse in women who become depressed postpartum may have long term implications for the woman's mental health, her relationship with her child, as well as the emotional development of her child. It is critical to offer women in this high-risk group supports in an attempt to minimize these difficulties and any long-term adverse effects. [C] 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Sexual abuse; Depression; Parenting; Development

Renee Burke [1] Teachers rated the problem behaviors, peer relations, and academic performance of twenty-nine 5- to 8-year-old children of either previously depressed or well mothers. The teachers reported more [...]

An examination of the increasing tendency to label normal reactions to childbirth as postnatal depression and to offer counselling to those exhibiting even the slightest symptoms. It is contended that this tendency is undermining our ability to cope as parents and that society would do better if it trusted that the majority of new parents can, just as they did in the past, cope with their feelings without outside intervention.

Mainstream theory and research in the field of social movements and political sociology has, by and large, ignored the influence of gender on social protest. A growing body of feminist research demonstrates that gender is an explanatory factor in the emergence, nature, and outcomes of all social movements, even those that do not evoke the language of gender conflict or explicitly embrace gender change. This article draws from a case study of the postpartum depression self-help movement w outline the relationship between gender and social movements. Linking theories of gender to mainstream theories on social movements allows us to recognize gender as a key explanatory factor in social movements and, in turn, to identify the role that social movements play in the social construction of gender