Effectiveness of Kangaroo Care for a Patient with Postpartum Depression and Comorbid Mother-Infant Bonding Disorder

Relationship between Antenatal Mental Health and Facial Emotion Recognition Bias for Children’s Faces among Pregnant Women

The importance of identification of facial emotion recognition (FER) bias for a child’s face has been reinforced from the perspective of risk screening for future peripartum mental health problems. We attempted to clarify the relationship of FER bias for children’s faces with antenatal depression and bonding failure among pregnant women, taking into consideration their broad social cognitive abilities and experience in child raising. This study had a cross-sectional design, and participants were women in their second trimester of pregnancy. Seventy-two participants were assessed by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Questionnaire (MIBQ), and a series of social cognitive tests. FER bias for a child’s face was assessed by Baby Cue Cards (BCC), and a larger number of disengagement responses suggest greater sensitivity to a child’s disengagement facial expressions. In a regression analysis conducted using EPDS as the dependent variable, a larger number of disengagement responses to the BCC (β = 0.365, p = 0.001) and the primipara status (β = −0.263, p = 0.016) were found to significantly contribute to antenatal depressive symptoms. Also, more disengagement responses to the BCC also significantly contributed to bonding failure as measured by the MIBQ (β = 0.234, p = 0.048). Maternal sensitivity to the child’s disengagement cues was associated with antenatal depressive symptoms and bonding failure more than the other social cognitive variables. The effects of FER bias on postpartum mental health and abusive behavior needs to be clarified by further longitudinal studies.

Psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on one-month postpartum mothers in a metropolitan area of Japan

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has recently become the most important issue in the world. Very few reports in Japan have examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on peripartum mental health. We examined the status of postpartum mental health before and during COVID-19 pandemic from a consecutive database in a metropolitan area of Japan.

Methods

The subjects were women who had completed a maternity health check-up at a core regional hospital in Yokohama during the period from April 1, 2017, to December 31, 2020. We collected the subjects’ scores for the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS) at 1 month postpartum. The subjects were divided into four groups (three Before COVID-19 groups and a During COVID-19 group). MANOVA and post-hoc tests were used to determine mental health changes in the postpartum period among the four groups.

Results

The Before and During COVID-19 groups contained 2844 and 1095 mothers, respectively. There were no significant difference in the total scores of the EPDS and MIBS among the four groups. However, the EPDS items related to anxiety factors were significantly higher and the EPDS items related to anhedonia and depression factors (excluding thoughts of self-harm) were significantly lower in the During COVID-19 group.

Conclusion

The EPDS scores changed in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. Anxiety, which represent hypervigilance, was significantly higher and anhedonia and depression were significantly lower in the During COVID-19 group. Our results may reflect COVID-19-related health concerns and a lack of social support caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulation in decreasing depression symptoms during the peripartum period: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques have been suggested as alternative treatments to decrease depression symptoms during the perinatal period. These include brain stimulation techniques that do not require surgery and that are nonpharmacological and non-psychotherapeutic. NIBS with evidence of antidepressant effects include repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), transcranial electric stimulation (TES) and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

OBJECTIVES

This systematic review aims to summarize evidence on NIBS efficacy, safety and acceptability in treating peripartum depression (PPD).

METHODS

We included randomized, non-randomized and case reports, that used NIBS during pregnancy and the postpartum. The reduction of depressive symptoms and neonatal safety were the primary and co-primary outcomes, respectively.

RESULTS

rTMS shows promising results for the treatment of PPD, with clinically significant decreases in depressive symptoms between baseline and end of treatment and overall good acceptability. Although the safety profile for rTMS is adequate in the postpartum, caution is warranted during pregnancy. In TES, evidence on efficacy derives mostly from single-arm studies, compromising the encouraging findings. Further investigation is necessary concerning ECT, as clinical practice relies on clinical experience and is only described in low-quality case-reports.

LIMITATIONS

The reduced number of controlled studies, the lack of complete datasets and the serious/high risk of bias of the reports warrant cautious interpretations.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Existing evidence is limited across NIBS techniques; comparative studies are lacking, and standard stimulation parameters are yet to be established. Although rTMS benefits from the most robust research, future multicenter randomized clinical trials are needed to determine the position of each NIBS strategy within the pathways of care.

The relationship between mother-infant contact time and changes in postpartum depression and mother-infant attachment among mothers staying at postpartum care centers: An observational study

This observational study investigated the relationship between mother-infant contact time and changes in postpartum depression and mother-infant attachment. The study population consisted of 101 mothers staying for 14 days at two postpartum care centers in Busan, Republic of Korea. Data were collected from February to March 2018 using a self-administered questionnaire that covered postpartum depression, mother-infant attachment, and included a contact timesheet. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including means and standard deviations, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and multiple linear regression with bootstrapping estimation. The mean daily contact time was 5.31 ± 1.80 h. The mean postpartum depression decreased from 8.76 ± 7.10 points at admission to 5.16 ± 3.35 points at discharge. By increasing daily kangaroo mother care time by 1 h, postpartum depression was decreased by 4.02 points. However, changes in mother-infant attachment were not related to contact time. Kangaroo mother care was effective in decreasing postpartum depression among the mothers at the postpartum care centers. Nurses working at the care centers should encourage mothers to participate in kangaroo mother care programs. Further studies considering various contacts, such as baby massage or bathing, are recommended.