Perinatal mental health around the world: priorities for research and service development in Norway

Stability and change in maternal wellbeing and illbeing from pregnancy to three years postpartum

PURPOSE

Motherhood affects women's mental health, encompassing aspects of both wellbeing and illbeing. This study investigated stability and change in wellbeing (i.e., relationship satisfaction and positive affect) and illbeing (i.e., depressive and anxiety symptoms) from pregnancy to three years postpartum. We further investigated the mutual and dynamic relations between these constructs over time and the role of genetic propensities in their time-invariant stability.

DATA AND METHODS

This four-wave longitudinal study included 83,124 women from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) linked to the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Data were collected during pregnancy (30 weeks) and at 6, 18 and 36 months postpartum. Wellbeing and illbeing were based on the Relationship Satisfaction Scale, the Differential Emotions Scale and Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-8. Genetics were measured by the wellbeing spectrum polygenic index. Analyses were based on random intercept cross-lagged panel models using R.

RESULTS

All four outcomes showed high stability and were mutually interconnected over time, with abundant cross-lagged predictions. The period of greatest instability was from pregnancy to 6 months postpartum, followed by increasing stability. Prenatal relationship satisfaction played a crucial role in maternal mental health postpartum. Women's genetic propensity to wellbeing contributed to time-invariant stability of all four constructs.

CONCLUSION

Understanding the mutual relationship between different aspects of wellbeing and illbeing allows for identifying potential targets for health promotion interventions. Time-invariant stability was partially explained by genetics. Maternal wellbeing and illbeing develop in an interdependent way from pregnancy to 36 months postpartum.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Depression and Anxiety among Women in the Last Trimester of Pregnancy: A Cross-Sectional Study

Pregnancy represents a psychologically and emotionally vulnerable period, and research indicates that pregnant women have a higher prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression, debunking the myth that hormonal changes associated with pregnancy protect the mother. In recent years, several researchers have focused on the study of prenatal anxiety/depression-emotional disorders manifested by mood lability and low interest in activities-with a high prevalence. The main objective of this research was to conduct an antenatal screening in a cohort of pregnant women hospitalized for delivery in order to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression. The secondary objective was to identify the risk factors associated with depression and anxiety in women in the third trimester of pregnancy. We carried out a prospective study in which we evaluated 215 pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy hospitalized for childbirth at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of the Târgu-Mureș County Clinical Hospital. The research was carried out between December 2019 and December 2021. The results showed that age and the environment of origin are the strongest predictors of mental health during pregnancy (OR = 0.904, 95%CI: 0.826-0.991; p = 0.029). For women from urban areas, there is an increased probability of falling at a higher level on the dependent variable (moderate depression) (OR = 2.454, 95%CI: 1.086-5.545; p = 0.032). In terms of health behaviors, none of the variables were statistically significant predictors of the outcome variable. The study highlights the importance of monitoring mental health during pregnancy and identifying relevant risk factors to provide appropriate care to pregnant women and the need for interventions to support the mental health of pregnant women. Especially in Romania, where there is no antenatal or postnatal screening for depression or other mental health conditions, these results could be used to encourage the implementation of such screening programs and appropriate interventions.

Treatment options and their uptake among women with symptoms of perinatal depression: exploratory study in Norway and Portugal

BACKGROUND

Perinatal depression is the most undertreated clinical condition during the perinatal period. Knowledge about women's decision-making in seeking and receiving treatment is scarce.

AIMS

To investigate and compare treatment option uptake in perinatal women with depressive symptoms in Portugal and Norway, and to identify sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with treatment uptake.

METHOD

Participants were women resident in Portugal or Norway (≥18 years) who were pregnant or had given birth in the past 12 months, who presented with active depressive symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale score ≥10). In an electronic questionnaire, women reported treatment received and sociodemographic and health-related factors.

RESULTS

The sample included 416 women from Portugal and 169 from Norway, of which 79.8% and 53.9%, respectively, were not receiving any treatment. Most Portuguese women were receiving psychological treatment, either alone (45.2%) or combined with pharmacological treatment (21.4%). Most Norwegian participants were receiving only pharmacological (36.5%) or combined treatment (35.4%). Compared with the Portuguese sample, a higher proportion of Norwegian women started treatment before pregnancy (P < 0.001). In Portugal, lower depressive symptoms and self-reported psychopathology were significantly associated with higher likelihood of receiving treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that, in both Norway and Portugal, a substantial number of perinatal women with depressive symptoms do not receive any treatment. Differences exist regarding the chosen treatment option and timing of treatment initiation in the two countries. Only mental health-related factors were associated with treatment uptake for perinatal depression in Portugal. Our results highlight the importance of implementing strategies aimed to improve help-seeking behaviours.