Factors associated with psychological distress among Australian women during pregnancy

Emotion regulation strategies and perceived stress during pregnancy in expectant mothers and fathers

BACKGROUND

Stress during pregnancy can increase physical and mental health risks in parents and offspring. Emotion regulation (ER) may protect against prenatal stress; however, ER is understudied in expectant parents, particularly expectant fathers. This study aimed to evaluate associations between ER strategies (reappraisal, suppression, ratio of suppression-to-reappraisal) and perceived stress among expectant parents, and also test whether expectant mothers and fathers differed in ER strategy use and perceived stress levels.

METHODS

N = 83 expectant parents (62.7% mothers) in the third trimester completed measures assessing perceived stress,reappraisal, and suppression. ANCOVA, hierarchical regression, and multilevel models were used to evaluate associations between ER strategies and perceived stress, and test for sex differences.

RESULTS

Controlling for age and education, lower reappraisal and higher suppression were associated with higher perceived stress; in addition, higher suppression-to-reappraisal ratios were associated with greater perceived stress. Mothers and fathers did not differ in perceived stress, reappraisal, or suppression; however, suppression-to-reappraisal ratios significantly differed.

CONCLUSION

Increasing ER skills such as reappraisal while reducing suppression may be beneficial for decreasing stress in expectant parents. Expectant fathers report similar levels of perceived stress to mothers and would benefit from prenatal mental health screening and intervention.

Which emotion regulation strategy is efficient for whom? Reappraisal and suppression efficiency for adaptive and maladaptive personality profiles

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the efficiency of different emotion regulation strategies, specifically reappraisal and suppression, in relation to adaptive and maladaptive personality profiles.

BACKGROUND

Personality conditions emotions and influences emotion regulation. Of the available regulation strategies, reappraisal (reinterpreting the situation) is described as an efficient strategy, whereas suppression (not displaying the experienced emotion) carries higher physiological and cognitive costs. Little is known, however, about the influence of personality on these efficiencies.

METHOD

We tested the personality structure of 102 participants (Meanage = 20.75, SDage = 2.15), based on the Five-Factor Model and the Maladaptive Personality Trait Model. Experience, expressivity, and physiological arousal were recorded during the viewing of emotionally charged positive and negative images while participants reappraised, suppressed, or viewed the images without regulating their emotions.

RESULTS

We identified two clusters for adaptive personality ("Adaptive Resilient" and "Anti-resilient") and two for maladaptive personality ("Maladaptive Resilient" and "Under-controlled"). The major finding was for emotional experience in maladaptive personalities, where reappraisal was efficient in the Maladaptive Resilient profile, while none of the strategies brought relief in the Under-controlled profile.

CONCLUSION

This study, which systematically contrasts personality and efficiency of emotion regulation strategies, is one of the first attempts to refine the understanding of how personality influences the emotional regulation process.

The Influence of Physical Activity during Pregnancy on Maternal Pain and Discomfort: A Meta-Analysis

Pregnant women may experience pain and discomfort during pregnancy, especially in areas such as the lower back and pelvic girdle. Pain in pregnancy is associated with poor quality of life, and because it is a common occurrence, pregnant women may be offered several resources to prevent discomforts throughout pregnancy, such as engaging in physical activity. This study was a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (prospectively registered in Prospero, registration number: CRD42023451320) aimed to assess the effects of physical activity during pregnancy on maternal pain and discomfort. We analysed 16 randomised clinical trials. The results of these analyses indicate that women who performed physical activity had significantly less intensity of pain (z = <2.69, p = <0.007; SMD = -0.66, 95% CI = -1.13, -0.18, I2 = <91%, Pheterogeneity = <0.001) and a reduction observed in the disability questionnaire (z = <2.37, p = <0.02; SMD = -0.80, 95% CI = -1.47, -0.14, I2 = <91%, Pheterogeneity = <0.001), and overall reduced general pain (z = <3.87, p = <0.001; SMD = -0.56, 95% CI = -0.84, -0.27, I2 = <86%, Pheterogeneity = <0.001) than women who did not practice physical activity during pregnancy. In conclusion, physical activity during pregnancy could effectively help to diminish pain intensity, reduce disability due to pain, and generally reduce pain.

Crisis and mental health of working women: risk factors and integrated care interventions based on organizational, individual, and institutional partnership

Purpose

Crises can weigh heavily on individuals' mental health. COVID-19 is a crisis that has shaken humanity, plunging it into a great wave of fear, ambiguity and uncertainty, due to its novelty and rapid spread, as well as lethality. Mental health disparities between women and men have widened as a result of this pandemic. Stress factors have multiplied, especially among working women, making them more psychologically vulnerable than they were before this pandemic and easy prey to psychological distress. This emphasized the importance of having integrated care interventions that take into consideration the organizational context, with gendered lenses. This paper discusses the relationship between COVID-19 and psychological distress among women in the workforce. It presents the main sources of stress and addresses integrated care interventions that can help to prevent psychological distress among women.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a viewpoint and critique of the recent literature.

Findings

Interventions based on a partnership between employers, employees, and government, including health and social services are needed to prevent mental health problems among women in the workplace that can result from crises. In this case, a gendered approach as well as an optimization of the use of new technologies should be favored.

Originality/value

There is little focus on the development of integrated care approaches to address psychological distress among working women in times of crisis and beyond. This paper helps to expand the scope of integrated care to work-related mental health research by exploring the impact of an unprecedented health crisis on a vulnerable group that suffers from disparities in mental health. It also provides insights into preventive interventions, built upon an integrated care approach, based on a tripartite partnership between working women, employing organizations, and governmental institutions, facilitated by the integration of new technologies. By doing this, the author aims to contribute to the prevention of mental health issues that can result from this crisis.

Generalized anxiety disorder among mothers attending perinatal services during COVID-19 pandemic: using ordinal logistic regression model

Background

Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive and uncontrollable worry about a variety of events. It is critical to ensure a pregnant mother's mental health in order to reduce pregnancy and birth-related problems. The major goal of current study was to identify the factors associated with generalized anxiety disorder among mothers attending perinatal services in the study area during COVID-19 using ordinal logistic regression.

Methods

The institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from July 10^th, 2020 to August 10^th, 2020 at Kembata Tembaro zone, Southern Ethiopia. The current study included 423 mothers. The GAD-7 scale was used to assess the anxiety level among mothers. An Ordered logit model was used to identify the determinants of GAD. Brant test of the parallel line was utilized to check proportionality assumption. The statistical significance was determined using an adjusted proportional odd ratio with a 95%CI, and a p-value <5%. STATA software version 14 was used to analyze statistical data.

Results

Of all 423 mothers attending perinatal service during COVID-19; 134(31.7%), 171(40.4%), 85(20.1%), and 33 (7.8%) had non/minimal to severe generalized anxiety disorder respectively. The results of multivariable proportional odds model (POM) showed that the variables town residents [aPOR = 1.827; 95% CI:1.233-2.708], having alcohol habit [aPOR = 3.437, 95% CI = 1.397-8.454], having occupation [aPOR = 0.509, 95% CI: 0.303-0.857], being health care worker [aPOR = 0.117, 95% CI = 0.044-0.311], having chronic illness [aPOR = 7.685, 95% CI = 3.045-19.39], having family history of anxiety/mood disorder [aPOR = 7.839, 95% CI = 2.656-23.12], fear of contracting COVID-19 [aPOR = 1.704, 95% CI = 1.152-2.521], having moderate social support [aPOR = 0.648, 95% CI = 0.425-0.989], having strong social support [aPOR = 0.495, 95% CI = 0.272-0.901] were significantly associated with generalized anxiety disorder at 5% level of significance.

Conclusion

Current findings concluded that the prevalence of GAD among mothers attending perinatal service during COVID-19 was high. The covariates like being town resident, lower-income status, occupation status, having a chronic illness, having a positive family history of anxiety or mood disorder, perceived social support, and fear of the COVID-19 were significantly associated with generalized anxiety disorder among mothers. Mothers who visit perinatal services should be given special consideration to improve health care services and ensure their mental health.

Parent mental health and family functioning following diagnosis of CHD: a research agenda and recommendations from the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative

Diagnosis of CHD substantially affects parent mental health and family functioning, thereby influencing child neurodevelopmental and psychosocial outcomes. Recognition of the need to proactively support parent mental health and family functioning following cardiac diagnosis to promote psychosocial adaptation has increased substantially over recent years. However, significant gaps in knowledge remain and families continue to report critical unmet psychosocial needs. The Parent Mental Health and Family Functioning Working Group of the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative was formed in 2018 through support from an R13 grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to identify significant knowledge gaps related to parent mental health and family functioning, as well as critical questions that must be answered to further knowledge, policy, care, and outcomes. Conceptually driven investigations are needed to identify parent mental health and family functioning factors with the strongest influence on child outcomes, to obtain a deeper understanding of the biomarkers associated with these factors, and to better understand how parent mental health and family functioning influence child outcomes over time. Investigations are also needed to develop, test, and implement sustainable models of mental health screening and assessment, as well as effective interventions to optimise parent mental health and family functioning to promote psychosocial adaptation. The critical questions and investigations outlined in this paper provide a roadmap for future research to close gaps in knowledge, improve care, and promote positive outcomes for families of children with CHD.