The association of maternal mental health with prenatal smoking cessation and postpartum relapse in a population-based sample

Factors associated with postpartum smoking relapse at early postpartum period of Japanese women in the Japan Environmental and Children's Study

BACKGROUND

Postpartum smoking relapse is a serious public health concern. Previous studies have identified several risk factors for postpartum smoking relapse; however, very little is known about the predictors of early postpartum smoking relapse. This study aimed to determine postpartum smoking relapse status and its associated risk factors at 1 month postpartum among Japanese women.

METHODS

Data were obtained from 93,851 mothers with live births in an ongoing birth cohort study, the Japan Environment and Children's Study. Data on smoking status and confounding variables were collected using self-administered questionnaires and medical record transcripts. Self-administered questionnaires were administered during the first trimester, second/third trimester, and 1 month after delivery. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed.

RESULTS

Among the 14,326 mothers who smoked during pregnancy, 10,917 (76.2%) quit smoking during pregnancy. Subsequently, 617 (5.7%) of the mothers who had quit relapsed smoking at 1 month postpartum. Maternal age (≤24, ≥35), maternal education (≤12 years), parity (≥Second), feeding method (Formula milk), partner smoking status during pregnancy (Smoker), number of cigarettes per day before the cessation of smoking (≥11), maternal alcohol consumption at 1-month postpartum (Drinker), postpartum depression (EPDS score ≥9), and spending time at the parents' home after delivery (≥14 days) were associated with smoking relapse.

CONCLUSIONS

A certain number of mothers relapsed even 1 month postpartum. Besides mother's alcohol and smoking habit before pregnancy, breastfeeding and partner smoking are important factors in early postpartum smoking relapse in Japan.

Tobacco consumption from the 1st trimester of pregnancy to 7 months postpartum: Effects of previous tobacco consumption, and depression and anxiety symptoms

OBJECTIVE

Previous tobacco consumption, and depression and anxiety symptoms are major predictors of women's tobacco consumption during pregnancy and the postpartum period. However, the joint effect of these predictors is still unexplored. This study aimed to analyse the effects of previous tobacco consumption, and depression and anxiety symptoms on women's tobacco consumption status and quantity from the 1st trimester of pregnancy to 7 months postpartum.

METHOD

A sample of 803 Spanish women was assessed at the 1st and the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, and at 2 and 7 months postpartum. Previous tobacco consumption, and depression and anxiety symptoms were self-reported. Pregnancy and postpartum tobacco consumption were confirmed with biochemical tests.

RESULTS

Women with more previous tobacco consumption or more anxiety symptoms presented a steeper decrease in the number of cigarettes smoked per week from the 1st trimester of pregnancy to the childbirth, although smoking more cigarettes than women with less previous tobacco consumption or less anxiety symptoms. Women with more depression symptoms showed a higher tendency to relapse smoking during the first 2 months postpartum.

CONCLUSIONS

Previous tobacco consumption and anxiety symptoms were associated with higher smoking quantity during pregnancy, while depression symptoms were associated with consumption relapse during postpartum period.

Association between Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Admission and Supine Sleep Positioning, Breastfeeding, and Postnatal Smoking among Mothers of Late Preterm Infants

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association between neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission and breastfeeding practices, infant supine sleep positioning, and postnatal smoking among mothers of late preterm infants.

STUDY DESIGN

Data from 36 states using the 2000-2013 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System were analyzed. χ² tests and 95% CI assessed infant and maternal characteristics and recommended care practices for late preterm infants based on NICU admission after birth. Adjusted prevalence ratios (APR) for breastfeeding initiation and continuation at 10 weeks, supine sleep position, and postnatal smoking were estimated using multivariable logistic regression models, controlling for infant and maternal characteristics. Analyses were weighted and SEs accounted for the complex survey design.

RESULTS

Our sample included 62 494 late preterm infants, representing a weighted population of 1 441 451 late preterm infants. In the adjusted analysis, mothers of late preterm infants admitted to a NICU were more likely to initiate breastfeeding (APR 1.07; 95% CI 1.05-1.09) and place their infants in supine sleep position (1.04; 95% CI 1.01-1.06) than mothers of late preterm infants not admitted to a NICU. There was no significant difference between groups for breastfeeding continuation or postnatal smoking.

CONCLUSIONS

Mothers of late preterm infants admitted to a NICU were more likely to initiate breastfeeding and practice supine sleep position than mothers of late preterm infants not admitted to a NICU. Future work should seek to identify the drivers of these differences to develop effective strategies to engage mothers in these health promoting infant care practices.

The prevalence of depression symptoms after smoking cessation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives: Smoking cessation can have positive effects on people's health, especially mental health. This study aimed to address the prevalence of depression in the smoking cessation population. Methods: In the present meta-analysis study, PRISMA protocol was used. Two databases, PubMed and Scopus, were selected. Articles in these two databases in English were targeted and the search was limited to July 2020. First, the results related to the prevalence of depression were calculated. The results were pooled. Results: Forty-nine articles with different designs were eligible for meta-analysis. The prevalence of depression in the smoking cessation population was 18% and the confidence interval was 14-22%. The highest depression prevalence was in Asia and Europe, followed by America. The prevalence of major depression in the smoking cessation population was 15% and the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 17%. The smoking cessation population had a lower odds of depression than current smokers (OR= 0.63 CI = 0.54-0.75; I2 83.9%). There was little evidence for publication bias. Discussion: The status of depression in the smoking cessation population is different from that of nonsmokers and current smokers. Therefore, in terms of health policy and encouraging people to smoking cessation, the issue of its positive effects on mental health should be emphasized.

Factors Affecting Smoking Behaviors and Smoking Prevalence in Pregnancy and Postpartum Period of Women

Aim

This study aimed to determine the factors affecting smoking behaviors and smoking prevalence among women during pregnancy and postpartum period.

Method

This cross-sectional study was conducted between May 2012 and October 2012 on a sample of 640 women who had children aged between one and three years and who enrolled in any one of the 23 family health centers located in the province of Sivas in Turkey. The data were collected through the questionnaires created by the researchers by interviewing the participants face to face in own homes. The data obtained were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Statistics 15.0 (SPSS Inc.; Chicago, IL, USA) package program and evaluated using number, percentage distribution, chi square test, logistic regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.

Results

Smoking prevalence was found to be 8% during pregnancy and 15.6% in the postpartum period. It was determined that 17.2% of the women smoked before their last pregnancy (n=110), more than half of the smokers quit smoking during pregnancy (n=59), and 46.4% of them continued to smoke during pregnancy. It was determined that 79.7% of the participants who quit smoking during pregnancy relapsed within the first one to three years of the postpartum period, and only 20.3% continued not to smoke. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that women who breastfed quit smoking for a significantly longer time (27.6 months) compared with those who did not breastfeed (12 months). According to the logistic regression analysis, the risk of postpartum relapse among women aged 30 years or more was 10.99-fold higher than women between the ages of 19 and 29.

Conclusion

The rate of pre-pregnancy smokers decreased in the pregnancy and increased in the postpartum period.

The opinions regarding smoking behaviors in the postpartum period of the women who quit smoking during pregnancy: A qualitative study

PURPOSE

Research is designed to know the opinions of women who quit smoking during pregnancy on changing smoking behaviors during the postpartum period.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Forty-seven women who quit smoking during pregnancy were included in the sample of study. Data were collected using in-depth face-to-face interview method with semistructured interview forms.

FINDINGS

Most of the reasons of women about their restarting were either individual such as the need to cope with stressful events in the family, or baby-related such as termination of breastfeeding.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Determining causes of relapse will guide nurses to develop effective intervention to reduce smoking rates in women.

Anxiety and depression symptoms among pregnant women with different smoking habits

Smoking during pregnancy is a major public health issue. The aim of this study isto describe the smoking habits of women during pregnancy and its association with clinically significant depressive and anxiety symptoms. 382 women answered to a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at 33 weeks of gestation. Among pregnant woman, 284 are non-smokers, 38 are smokers and 60 quitted smoking during pregnancy. There was a significant association between maternal smoking status and marital status, education level and family income per month. Among smokers, the rate of quitters was quite similar among partnered and unpartnered women and higher in women with university degree and with higher family monthly income.  There was a significant association between maternal smoking status and clinically significant anxious symptoms [χ2(2)=8.535, p=0.014].  Among mothers with non-university education, smokers are more likely to have clinically significant anxiety symptoms than quitters (53.6% vs 24.3%) while among mothers in higher income families, smokers are more likely to have clinically significant depressive symptoms than quitters (100% vs 11.1%). This study provides important data to inform effective public health strategies directed to pregnant women.

Association of Postpartum Smoking Relapse With Breastfeeding and Body Mass Index

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine the relationship between smoking relapse and breastfeeding and body mass index in the postpartum period.

METHODS

This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2016 and November 2017 in the polyclinic for children's health and common illnesses at a university hospital in eastern Turkey. One hundred eleven women who met the inclusion criteria constituted the sample of the study. The data were evaluated using the analyses of percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, independent-samples t test, analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression.

RESULTS

In the study, the week of pregnancy period when the women quit smoking was 8.19 ± 5.17, and the week of postpartum smoking relapse was 8.47 ± 11.76. Furthermore, 72.1% of the women stated that they wanted to quit smoking permanently. The study determined that the status of wanting to quit smoking permanently, the status of smoking while breastfeeding, and gained weight during the last gestation are important predictors of postpartum smoking relapse.

ORIGINALITY AND VALUE

Knowledge on the characteristics of the women who started smoking again in the postpartum period is important for helping women who have quitted smoking in pregnancy but who are prone to relapse as a risk group by health care personnel.

Prenatal stress and models explaining risk for psychopathology revisited: Generic vulnerability and divergent pathways

The present review revisits three hypothesized models that potentially could explain how prenatal maternal stress influences fetal development, birth outcomes, and subsequent developmental psychopathology. These models were mostly based on animal models, and new evidence for these models from human studies is evaluated. Furthermore, divergent trajectories from prenatal exposure to adversities to offspring affected outcomes are reviewed, including the comparison of studies on prenatal maternal stress with research on maternal substance use and maternal malnutrition during pregnancy. Finally, new directions in research on the mechanism underlying prenatal stress effects on human offspring is summarized. While it is concluded that there is abundant evidence for the negative associations between prenatal maternal stress and offspring behavioral, brain, and psychopathological outcomes in humans, there is no consistent evidence for specific mechanisms or specific outcomes in relation to stress exposure in utero. Rather, principles of multifinality and equifinality best describe the consequences for the offspring, suggesting a generic vulnerability and different pathways from prenatal adversities to developmental psychopathology, which complicates the search for underlying mechanisms. New and promising directions for research are provided to get a better understanding of how prenatal stress gets under the skin to affect fetal development.

Development of SmokeFree Baby: a smoking cessation smartphone app for pregnant smokers

Pregnant smokers may benefit from digital smoking cessation interventions, but few have been designed for this population. The aim was to transparently report the development of a smartphone app designed to aid smoking cessation during pregnancy. The development of a smartphone app (‘SmokeFree Baby’) to help pregnant women stop smoking was guided by frameworks for developing complex interventions, including the Medical Research Council (MRC), Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) and Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW). Two integrative behaviour change theories provided the theoretical base. Evidence from the scientific literature and behaviour change techniques (BCTs) from the BCT Taxonomy v1 informed the intervention content. The app was developed around five core modules, each with a distinct intervention target (identity change, stress management, health information, promoting use of face-to-face support and behavioural substitution) and available in a ‘control’ or ‘full’ version. SmokeFree Baby has been developed as part of a multiphase intervention optimization to identify the optimum combination of intervention components to include in smartphone apps to help pregnant smokers stop smoking.

Review of the Relationships Among Psychosocial Stress, Secondhand Smoke, and Perinatal Smoking

OBJECTIVE

To summarize and evaluate the recently published literature in which the relationships among psychosocial stress, smoking, and exposure to secondhand smoke during the perinatal period are examined, and to describe the characteristics and demographics of the samples.

DATA SOURCES

Electronic databases MEDLINE, Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and PsychINFO. In addition, hand searches of reference lists supplemented the electronic search.

STUDY SELECTION

English language, peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2015 on the relationships of self-reported or perceived stress, smoking, and secondhand smoke exposure during pregnancy and postpartum were included. Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria.

DATA EXTRACTION

Data that specified the relationships among smoking, stress, and secondhand smoke exposure during pregnancy and postpartum were extracted from the studies. A table matrix, available as supplemental material, to summarize the literature and sample characteristics and demographics was created.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Evidence from the included studies supported an association between psychosocial stress specific to pregnancy or from other sources and smoking or smoking relapse during pregnancy or in the postpartum period. In the studies in which it was included, exposure to secondhand smoke was cited as a barrier to abstinence.

CONCLUSION

It is probable that women who persistently smoke in pregnancy experience elevated stress. Further research with longitudinal designs and inclusion of secondhand smoke as a variable are needed.

Postpartum Smoking Relapse After Quitting During Pregnancy: Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, 2000-2011

BACKGROUND

Relapsing to smoking postpartum jeopardizes a woman's health and her infant's health. Our study estimated the proportion and identified characteristics associated with postpartum relapse using a large population-based sample.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We analyzed Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System data among women with live births. Relapse was defined as smoking at survey completion among those who quit by the last 3 months of pregnancy. We assessed linear trends for relapse during 2000-2011 in 40 sites overall and individually using logistic regression. Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) were calculated to assess characteristics associated with relapse during 2009-2011 (n = 13,076).

RESULTS

During 2000-2011, the proportion of women who relapsed postpartum remained unchanged overall (p = 0.84) and by site (p ≥ 0.05 for each), ranging in 2011 from 30.8% to 52.2% (Wyoming-Arkansas). Characteristics associated with relapse compared with reference groups were prepregnancy daily smoking (aPR = 1.80; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.59-2.04); age <20 years (aPR = 1.51; 1.24-1.84), 20-24 years (aPR = 1.39; 1.17-1.65), or 25-34 years (aPR = 1.26; 1.07-1.48); not initiating breastfeeding (aPR = 1.34; 1.24-1.44); not having a complete home smoking ban (aPR = 1.27; 1.14-1.42); being black non-Hispanic (aPR = 1.25; 1.14-1.38); being multiparous (aPR = 1.20; 1.11-1.28); experiencing 3-5 stressors during pregnancy (aPR = 1.12; 1.01-1.24); having an unintended pregnancy (aPR = 1.11; 1.03-1.19); and having 12 years of education (aPR = 1.09; 1.01-1.17).

CONCLUSIONS

There was no change in the proportion of women relapsing postpartum during 2000-2011. In 2011, nearly half (42%) of women relapsed after quitting smoking during pregnancy. Disparities exist by site and by maternal characteristics. A comprehensive approach maximizing tobacco control efforts and developing effective clinical interventions delivered across sectors is necessary for long-term tobacco abstinence among women.

Understanding Inequalities of Maternal Smoking--Bridging the Gap with Adapted Intervention Strategies

Women who are generally part of socially disadvantaged and economically marginalized groups are especially susceptible to smoking during pregnancy but smoking rates are underreported in both research and interventions. While there is evidence to support the short-term efficacy of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) use in pregnancy, long-term abstinence rates are modest. Current health strategies and interventions designed to diminish smoking in pregnancy have adopted a simplified approach to maternal smoking-one that suggests that they have a similar degree of choice to non-pregnant smokers regarding the avoidance of risk factors, and overlooks individual predictors of non-adherence. As a result, interventions have been ineffective among this high-risk group. For this reason, this paper addresses the multiple and interacting determinants that must be considered when developing and implementing effective strategies that lead to successful smoking cessation: socioeconomic status (SES), nicotine dependence, social support, culture, mental health, and health services. Based on our review of the literature, we conclude that tailoring cessation programs for pregnant smokers may ultimately optimize NRT efficacy and reduce the prevalence of maternal smoking.

Perinatal substance use: a prospective evaluation of abstinence and relapse

BACKGROUND

Substance use decreases in pregnancy but little prospective data are available on the rates of abstinence and relapse for specific substances. This study compared rates of abstinence in pregnancy and relapse postpartum for nicotine cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine.

METHODS

Data from 152 women drawn from a randomized controlled trial comparing psychological treatments for substance use in pregnancy were analyzed. Self-reports of substance use and urine for toxicology testing throughout pregnancy and 3-months, 12-months and 24-months post-delivery were collected. Multivariate Cox models were used to compare rates of abstinence and relapse across substances.

RESULTS

In pregnancy, 83% of all women achieved abstinence to at least one substance. The mean (SE) days to abstinence was 145.81 (9.17), 132.01 (6.17), 151.52 (6.24), and 148.91 (7.68) for cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana and cocaine, respectively. Participants were more likely to achieve abstinence from alcohol (HR 7.24; 95% CI 4.47-11.72), marijuana (HR 4.06; 95% CI 1.87-6.22), and cocaine (HR 3.41; 95% CI 2.53-6.51), than cigarettes. Postpartum, 80% of women abstinent in the last month of pregnancy relapsed to at least one substance. The mean days to relapse was 109.67 (26.34), 127.73 (21.29), 138.35 (25.46), and 287.55 (95.85) for cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana and cocaine, respectively. Relapse to cocaine was only 34% (HR 0.34; 95% CI 0.15-0.77) that of cigarettes.

CONCLUSIONS

Pregnancy-related abstinence rates were high for all substances except cigarettes. Postpartum relapse was common, with cocaine using women being less likely to relapse after attaining abstinence compared to women using cigarettes, alcohol or marijuana.

Smoking during pregnancy: childbirth and health study in primary care in Iceland

OBJECTIVE

To study the prevalence and possible predictors for smoking during pregnancy in Iceland.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Twenty-six primary health care centres in Iceland 2009-2010. SUBJECTS. Women attending antenatal care in the 11th-16th week of pregnancy were invited to participate by convenient consecutive manner, stratified according to residency. A total of 1111 women provided data in this first phase of the cohort study.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Smoking habits before and during early pregnancy were assessed with a postal questionnaire, which also included questions about socio-demographic background, physical and emotional well-being, and use of medications.

RESULTS

The prevalence of smoking prior to pregnancy was 20% (223/1111). During early pregnancy, it was 5% (53/1111). In comparison with women who stopped smoking during early pregnancy, those who continued to smoke had on average a significantly lower level of education, had smoked more cigarettes per day before pregnancy, and were more likely to use nicotine replacement therapy in addition to smoking during pregnancy. A higher number of cigarettes consumed per day before pregnancy and a lower level of education were the strongest predictors for continued smoking during pregnancy.

CONCLUSION

The majority of Icelandic women who smoke stop when they become pregnant, and the prevalence of smoking during pregnancy in Iceland is still about 5%. Our results indicate stronger nicotine dependence in women who do not stop smoking during pregnancy. Awareness of this can help general practitioners (GPs) and others providing antenatal care to approach these women with more insight and empathy, which might theoretically help them to quit.

Stressful events and continued smoking and continued alcohol consumption during mid-pregnancy

Aim

to examine whether the severity of different categories of stressful events is associated with continued smoking and alcohol consumption during mid-pregnancy. Also, we explored the explanation of these associations by anxiety and depressive symptoms during pregnancy. Finally, we studied whether the severity of stressful events was associated with the amount of cigarettes and alcohol used by continued users.

Method

we conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from a population-based prospective cohort study. Pregnant women were recruited via midwifery practices throughout The Netherlands. We analyzed women who continued smoking (n = 113) or quit (n = 290), and women who continued alcohol consumption (n = 124) or quit (n = 1403) during pregnancy. Smoking, alcohol consumption, and perceived severity of stressful events were measured at 19 weeks of gestation. The State Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale were filled out at 14 weeks of gestation. Odds ratios were calculated as association measures and indicated the relative increase for the odds of continuation of smoking and alcohol consumption for the maximum severity score compared to the minimum score.

Findings

severity of the following stressful event categories was associated with continued alcohol consumption: ‘conflict with loved ones’ (OR = 10.4, p<0.01), ‘crime related’ (OR = 35.7, p<0.05), ‘pregnancy-specific’ (OR = 13.4, p<0.05), and the total including all events (OR = 17.2, p<0.05). Adjustment for potential confounders (age, parity and educational level) did not notably change the estimates. There was no association of anxiety and depressive symptoms with continued smoking or alcohol consumption. No associations emerged for continued smoking and severity of stressful events. The amount of cigarettes and alcohol consumption among continued users was not associated with severity of stressful events.

Conclusions

Our findings may be relevant for health care providers, in particular midwives and general practitioners. The impact of stressful events may be considered when advising pregnant women on smoking and alcohol consumption.

Smoking behaviour before, during, and after pregnancy: the effect of breastfeeding

Data for this study were obtained from a population-based follow-up study in 25 Italian Local Health Units (LHUs) to evaluate pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care in Italy. A sample of 3534 women was recruited and interviewed within a few days of their giving birth and at 3, 6, and 12 months after delivery, by trained interviewers using questionnaires. The objective of the study was to evaluate changes in smoking behaviour from one interview to the next. Of 2546 women who completed the follow-up, smoking prevalences before and during pregnancy were 21.6% and 6.7%; smoking prevalences and smoking relapse at 3, 6, and 12 months were 8.1% and 18.5%, 10.3% and 30.3%, and 10.9% and 32.3%, respectively. Smoking during and after pregnancy was more likely among women who were less educated, single, not attending antenatal classes, employed, and not breastfeeding. The results show that women who are breastfeeding smoke less than not breastfeeding women, even after controlling for other predictors (i.e.,  smoking relapse at 12 months: OR = 0.43, 95%  CI:  0.19, 0.94). A low maternal mood increases the risk of smoking relapse within 6 months of about 73%. This study also suggests that prolonged breastfeeding reduces the risk of smoking relapse and that this reduction may be persistent in time. Interventions targeting breastfeeding promotion may also indirectly support smoking cessation, even in absence of specific interventions.