(Press-News.org) Ashley Pritchard, a Simon Fraser University doctoral student, is among four authors of a new research paper calling for closer monitoring of new mothers for mental health problems in light of their findings.
The four have advanced previous research that links intimate partner abuse to postpartum mental health problems. They discovered that 61 per cent of all women who participated in the study experienced mental health symptoms.
The open-access journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth has published online the researchers' study, Intimate partner abuse before and during pregnancy as risk factors for postpartum mental health problems.
The study examined associations of psychological, physical and sexual abuse experienced by 100 English-speaking mothers in British Columbia, aged 18 years and older, in the first three months of their postpartum period.
Even though the abuse was typically minor in nature, such as name-calling, any type of intimate partner abuse—before or during pregnancy—was linked to higher than normal levels of postpartum mental health problems. Forty-seven per cent of all women who participated in the study experienced at least moderate mental health symptoms.
The participants were largely from high socioeconomic backgrounds and were not considered at high risk of postpartum mental health problems.
"I think when people hear the word abuse they automatically think about physical abuse," says Pritchard, an SFU psychology student who interviewed the study's participants and helped recruit them.
"This research shows that different types of abuse have negative consequences and should be part of routine health checks for new mothers."
In addition to questions about their general health and wellbeing, participants answered questions about their experiences of intimate partner abuse and about their mental health during their postpartum period.
Their symptoms, which included depression, stress, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), were above normal levels and were triggered by specific types of abuse.
For example, psychological abuse—verbal and emotional—was associated with stress and PTSD. Physical abuse was associated with depression, OCD and PTSD. Sexual abuse was associated with OCD.
Multivariate modeling also showed that as the number of types of intimate partner abuse experienced increased—especially during pregnancy—so did the number of different types of postpartum mental health problems, and their severity.
The authors say their findings underscore the complex risks and needs associated with intimate partner abuse among postpartum women, regardless of socioeconomic background.
Recognizing that it would be challenging to achieve, the authors recommend that healthcare providers screen new mothers more intensely for intimate partner abuse.
"Educating both the public and health care professionals about the prevalence and effects of intimate partner abuse would help to diminish the stigma surrounding the issue," says Pritchard.
"In addition to education, the development of strong rapport and trust between mothers-to-be and their healthcare providers would likely make it easier to discuss topics such as partner abuse openly."
The authors advocate that further studies investigate intervention and prevention strategies.
INFORMATION:
Backgrounder:
Pritchard's collaborators on this study were SFU alumna Sarah Desmarais, an assistant professor of psychology at North Carolina State (NC State) University and the lead author, Evan Lowder, an NC State graduate student and Patricia Janssen, a University of British Columbia professor in the School of Population and Public Health. Desmarais graduated from SFU in 2008 with a doctorate in psychology.
The British Columbia Mental Health and Addictions Research Network, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research funded this research.
Simon Fraser University is consistently ranked among Canada's top comprehensive universities and is one of the top 50 universities in the world under 50 years old. With campuses in Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey, B.C., SFU engages actively with the community in its research and teaching, delivers almost 150 programs to more than 30,000 students, and has more than 125,000 alumni in 130 countries.
Simon Fraser University: Engaging Students. Engaging Research. Engaging Communities.
Contact:
Ashley Pritchard (Vancouver resident)
604.219.5721
aap2@sfu.ca
Carol Thorbes
PAMR
778.782.3035
cthorbes@sfu.ca
Photos: http://at.sfu.ca/XQXhdw
Abuse jeopardizes new mothers' mental health
2014-04-28
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Imaging gives clearer picture of cancer drugs' chances of success
2014-04-28
The quest for new cancer treatments could be revolutionised by advances in technology that can visualise living cells and tissues, scientists claim.
Leading edge imaging techniques will make it easier to identify which are the most promising new drugs to take forward for patient testing, a review of the technology suggests.
Applying such techniques early in the drug discovery process could improve the success rate of new medicines by helping to rule out drugs that are unlikely to work.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are leading the way in using biological ...
Whitefly confused by cacophony of smells
2014-04-28
Bombarding pests with smells from many different plants temporarily confuses them and hinders their ability to feed, new research has shown.
Biologists at Newcastle University, UK, have been exploring the potential of harmless plant volatiles as an alternative to pesticides in greenhouses.
Testing a phenomenon known as the 'confusion effect' – whereby animals and humans become inefficient at a task when they are bombarded with lots of distracting information – the team pumped a mixture of plant smells into a greenhouse growing tomato plants.
Exposing the whitefly to ...
Dipping blood sugars cause surprisingly irregular heart rhythms in diabetics
2014-04-28
The findings from the research – led by Professor Simon Heller of the University of Sheffield's Department of Human Metabolism and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - could offer vital clues to the mechanism by which low blood sugar levels could contribute to life-threatening changes in heart rhythm, a major risk for patients with diabetes.
They also shed important new light on the 'Dead in Bed' syndrome – where young people without any history of long-term complications die suddenly from the disease.
Previous studies have apparently ruled out a direct ...
Penn Medicine experts identify geographic and gender disparities among stroke patients
2014-04-28
PHILADELPHIA - Stroke researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will unveil a map demonstrating geographic hotspots of increased stroke mortality across the United States, among a series of stroke studies being presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 26 to May 3, 2014.
Hot and Cold: Stroke Mortality Varies Widely, Even in Neighboring Counties
Clusters of "hot" spots - counties where the mortality rate from stroke was as much as 40 percent higher than the national average and ...
Penn neurologists report on promise of statins, estrogen and telemedicine in Parkinson's
2014-04-28
PHILADEPHIA- A trio of studies from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania demonstrate new approaches to understanding, treating and potentially staving off Parkinson's disease (PD). Studies show that factors such as estrogen exposure and statin use have an impact on the onset of Parkinson's disease. And a new look at telemedicine demonstrates feasibility in providing care for Parkinson's patients using remote video visits to expand access and center care around the needs of Parkinson's patients. These studies and more will be presented at the ...
Important migratory corridor for endangered marine species off north-west Australia
2014-04-28
The value of Australia's newly established network of marine parks has been highlighted by an international project that used satellites to track the vulnerable flatback sea turtle.
Researchers from Deakin University, Swansea University (United Kingdom) and Pendoley Environmental consultancy used advanced satellite tracking systems to record the passage of more than 70 flatbacks off the north-west Australian coastline.
A high value migratory corridor, more than 1,000 kilometres in length, was pinpointed, with about half the corridor contained within the network of ...
Nature and nurture: Baby's development is affected by genes and conditions in the womb
2014-04-28
A recent study led by A*STAR's Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS) found that genetics as well as the environment in the womb play important roles in the development of the baby. The effort by the international team of scientists and clinicians is the world's first attempt to discover how genetic and environmental factors affect the human epigenome . The results have fundamental implications for how epigenetic studies will be conducted in the future and for our understanding of how the mother's nutrition and lifestyle may have long-lasting effects on the health ...
Determining biocontainers' carbon footprint
2014-04-28
GRANVILLE, IL – Many efforts to reduce the environmental impacts associated with commercial horticulture production have failed to influence the general public. For example, one recent study showed that the use of organic fertilizers offered no significant marketing advantage to producers of floral crops. In contrast to the promotion of organic products, the use of biocontainers (plant material-based, biodegradable pots) as alternatives to conventional plastic containers has been shown to resonate with many consumers.
The authors of a new study say that, despite the positive ...
Optimizing sweetpotato production
2014-04-28
PONTOTOC, MS – As the popularity and convenience of sweetpotato products increases, sweetpotato growers and processors are interested in identifying ways to meet processor's demands and to make the crop more widely available. A new study reveals that cultural practices such as early planting and delaying harvest hold promise for increasing yield and economic benefits for sweetpotato producers.
In the United States, sweetpotatoes are grown primarily for the fresh market, where consumers prefer medium-sized, uniformly shaped products that are free of imperfections. Ramón ...
What Lies Beneath Modern New England? Mountain-building and the end of an ancient ocean
2014-04-28
Boulder, Colo., USA – When and where did the ancient Iapetus Ocean suture (the most fundamental Appalachian structure) form? Is part of New England made up of ancient African-derived rocks? What is the Moretown terrane? This new GEOLOGY study by researchers from Harvard, Middlebury College, Boise State University, and Williams College finds new evidence for an earlier closing of the Iapetus that is farther west than previous studies have reported.
Mountain-building events, called "orogenies," in the northern U.S. Appalachia record the closure of the Iapetus Ocean, an ...