Relation between Mother's Taekyo, Prenatal and Postpartum Depression, and Infant's Temperament and Colic: A Longitudinal Prospective Approach

Infant colic and HPA axis development across childhood

This study examines the long-term impact of infant colic on Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis development and the moderating role of attachment security, in a low-risk Dutch sample of 193 children. We assessed infant colic at 6 weeks, circadian cortisol concentrations at ages 1, 2.5, 6, and 10 years, and attachment security at 1 year. Findings indicated that infant colic was associated with steeper diurnal cortisol slopes and slightly higher cortisol concentrations throughout childhood. Attachment security did not moderate these associations. This is the first study to reveal a link between infant colic and the development of the HPA axis in healthy children beyond infancy. These findings have important implications for understanding early risk and protective factors in the stress system's development.

Antenatal depression across trimesters as a risk for postpartum depression and estimation of the fraction of postpartum depression attributable to antenatal depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies

OBJECTIVE

This meta-analysis aimed at estimating the prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) at different postpartum timepoints in women with antenatal depression (AD) in the three trimesters. We also examined the association between AD and PPD, and estimated the population attributable fraction of PPD to AD.

METHODS

This systematic review and meta-analysis identified cohort studies that determined the prevalence of PPD in women who had AD, and those that examined the association between AD and PPD from PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL and PsycINFO. Articles were appraised using the modified Newcastle Ottawa Scale and data were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis.

RESULTS

Eighty-eight (88) cohort studies with a combined sample size of 1,042,448 perinatal women contributed to the meta-analysis. About 37% pregnant women who had AD, later had PPD. Those with AD had four times higher odds of developing PPD (OR: 4.58; 95% CI = 3.52-5.96). The odds of having PPD were higher when AD was observed in the first or third trimester compared to the second trimester. About 12.8% of PPD cases were attributable to AD.

CONCLUSION

The findings should inform future clinical guidelines on the screening, the frequency of screening, and follow-up care in maternal-mental health.

Incidence and Associated Factors of Infantile Colic in Thai Infants

Purpose

Infantile colic, a common functional gastrointestinal condition, causes distress and frustration in families. Its prevalence and incidence vary from community to community. The purpose of our study was to demonstrate the incidence of and factors associated with infantile colic in Thai infants.

Methods

We conducted a prospective analytic study to explore the incidence and factors associated with infantile colic in 386 Thai infants aged between one month and six months. Caregivers were interviewed using a questionnaire about infants' symptoms of colic based on the definition from the Rome IV criteria. Family background and potential precipitating factors of colic were also evaluated.

Results

The incidence of colic in infants younger than 6 months was 6.5%. All infants' colic started within 12 weeks of life and lasted approximately 6 weeks. Sex, gestational age, birth weight, delivery route, birth order, family factors, and parental factors were not correlated with the occurrence of colic. Infants who were exclusively breastfed for the first 2 months of life had a lower incidence of infantile colic than those who were mixed- or formula-fed (odds ratio=3.0; 95% confidence intervals=1.3 to 7.2).

Conclusion

The incidence of infantile colic in Thai infants in our study was 6.5%, which is similar to that in other reports. Being exclusively breastfed for the first two months was the only risk factor in our cohort.

Predictors of Antenatal Depression in Pregnant Couples

Pregnant women and their partners are at an increased risk of antenatal depression. Therefore, this cross-sectional study of data from 116 couples investigated predictors of maternal and paternal antenatal depression using sociodemographic data, women's risk factors for depression during the antenatal period, women's perceived stress, and antenatal depression in the other partner. Pregnant women had higher depression scores (7.4 ± 4.7) and a higher frequency of being at high risk for depression (25.9%) than their spouses (4.6 ± 3.5, 9.5%). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the statistically significant predictors of antenatal depression in pregnant women were perceived stress (β = .45, p < .001) and antenatal depression risk factors (β = .30, p = .002) and in spouses, women's antenatal depression risk factors (β = .29, p = .013). The present findings suggest that nurses should intervene to mitigate the risk of maternal antenatal depression and perceived stress to prevent depression in pregnant couples.

Translation and Validation of the Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised in Urdu for Use in Pakistan

BACKGROUND

Satisfaction with the birth experience is increasingly recognized as critical to the well-being of mother and baby and thus accurate assessment of this key dimension is essential. The Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R) has been shown to be a robust, valid, and reliable measure of birth experience. The current study sought to develop an Urdu version of the measure to be used in Pakistan.

METHODS

Following translation, a cross-sectional design was used to examine the measurement properties of the Pakistan (Urdu)-BSS-R (P-BSS-R). Participants were a purposive sample of Pakistani postnatal women (n = 200). Key psychometric properties were examined using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), internal consistency evaluation, and known-groups discriminant validity testing.

RESULTS

The majority of measurement parameters for clinical application of the P-BSS-R were found to be acceptable with good known-groups discriminant validity and data fit to the tri-dimensional theoretical model of the BSS-R observed. However, some idiosyncratic observations were highlighted, including unexpected low internal consistency.

CONCLUSIONS

The P-BSS-R was found to be a generally valid and reliable measure of the experience, a caveat being low internal consistency warranting further investigation.