Publications by authors named "Emma Robertson-Blackmore"

Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on postpartum depression (PPD), a hereditary form of major depressive disorder, using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to explore its genetic basis across various populations.
  • It analyzed data from 18,770 PPD cases and 58,461 controls, finding no single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that met genome-wide significance, though it highlighted significant genetic correlations with other mental health conditions.
  • The findings suggest that PPD is polygenic and heritable, potentially involving unique genetic factors despite its close relationship with major depressive disorder and implicate specific brain neurons associated with its treatment.
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Objective: This study sought to examine career satisfaction among United States of America child and adolescent psychiatrists (CAPs) across career stages, identifying predictive factors for their career satisfaction.

Methods: A total of 526 CAPs responded to a national career satisfaction survey. Satisfaction was assessed via responses to statements about their career on a Likert scale.

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There is an urgent need for new clinical models to improve access to child mental health care. Pediatricians are tasked to care for youth with mild to moderate mental health problems, but require additional training. This article describes an outpatient child psychiatry consultation clinic (CPC) designed to empower pediatricians to care for youth with depression, anxiety, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

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Objectives: Estimates of depression prevalence in pregnancy and postpartum are based on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) more than on any other method. We aimed to determine if any EPDS cutoff can accurately and consistently estimate depression prevalence in individual studies.

Methods: We analyzed datasets that compared EPDS scores to Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (SCID) major depression status.

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Primary care pediatric providers (PCPs) could facilitate early intervention for youth impacted by trauma, yet lack appropriate training. Experiential training for PCPs following a school shooting helped improve PCP confidence and practices in caring for youth with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Objectives: A previous individual participant data meta-analysis (IPDMA) identified differences in major depression classification rates between different diagnostic interviews, controlling for depressive symptoms on the basis of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. We aimed to determine whether similar results would be seen in a different population, using studies that administered the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) in pregnancy or postpartum.

Methods: Data accrued for an EPDS diagnostic accuracy IPDMA were analysed.

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Women veterans experience significant morbidity with poorer health and mental health outcomes relative to nonveteran counterparts. Little is known about how to best promote health and well-being among reintegrating female veterans. Civic service has been shown to improve mental health in civilians, but its impact on female veterans is unknown.

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There is now a clear focus on incorporating, and integrating, multiple levels of analysis in developmental science. The current study adds to research in this area by including markers of the immune and neuroendocrine systems in a longitudinal study of temperament in infants. Observational and parent-reported ratings of infant temperament, serum markers of the innate immune system, and cortisol reactivity from repeated salivary collections were examined in a sample of 123 infants who were assessed at 6 months and again when they were, on average, 17 months old.

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Introduction: Volunteering as a health promotion intervention is positively related to improved health and well-being in civilians and older adults. Yet, the impacts of participating in a community-based volunteering program on returning military veterans have not been studied, nor have the outcomes for veterans who have experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Materials And Methods: This observational, pre-post survey examines health, psychological, and social outcomes from a cohort of post-9/11/01 veterans with (N = 67) and without a reported TBI history (N = 273) who completed a 6-month, 20-hour per week veteran-focused civic service program.

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Objectives: Postpartum psychosis (PP) is known for its clear onset but its phenotype has never been clearly described in a cohort. The aim of this study was to describe PP symptomatology, and to identify subgroups of patients based on symptom profiles.

Methods: We prospectively assessed a wide range of symptoms in cases of PP in a cohort of women (N=130) admitted to the Mother-Baby inpatient unit.

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Volunteering as a health promotion intervention, improves physical health, mental health, and social outcomes particularly in older adults, yet limited research exists for veterans. We conducted a preliminary study to explore whether volunteering impacts a variety of biopsychosocial outcomes, including symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, among returning military veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. A survey enrolling a prospective cohort of United States (U.

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Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health concern, affecting one-third of US women. Prior research suggests an association between exposure to IPV and poor maternal perinatal health, but the underlying biological correlates are not well understood. This study examined the relationship between exposure to IPV and proinflammatory cytokine levels, a candidate mechanism accounting for poor psychiatric and obstetric outcomes, across the perinatal period.

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Prenatal maternal mood may inform the adverse obstetric outcomes seen in disadvantaged populations. The contribution of having a trauma history is not well studied. We examined the impact of trauma exposure and mood symptoms on obstetric outcomes in 358 women.

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A Child Psychiatry Consultation Model (CPCM) offering primary care providers (PCPs) expedited access to outpatient child psychiatric consultation regarding management in primary care would allow more children to access mental health services. Yet, little is known about outpatient CPCMs. This pilot study describes an outpatient CPCM for 22 PCPs in a large Northeast Florida county.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends screening young children for behavioral and emotional problems (BEP) during primary care visits. Because of time constraints, few primary care providers (PCPs) use standardized screening tools to detect BEP. The Early Childhood Screening Assessment (ECSA) is a brief screening tool developed specifically to meet the needs of pediatric primary care providers (PCPs).

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Background: Pregnancy-related anxiety (PrA) has attracted considerable research attention, but questions remain about its distinctiveness from conventional constructs and measures. In a high psychosocial risk, ethnically diverse sample, we examine the degree to which PrA is distinct from continuous and diagnostic measures of anxiety and worry in terms of longitudinal course, associations with psychosocial and perinatal risk, and prediction of postnatal mood disturbance.

Methods: 345 women oversampled for prenatal anxiety and depression were selected from an urban obstetrics clinic serving a predominantly low-income, ethnically diverse population.

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Background: Episodes of postpartum psychosis have been associated with first pregnancies in women with bipolar I disorder. It is unclear, however, if the effect extends to episodes at other times in relation to childbirth and to women with other mood disorders such as major depression and bipolar II disorder. This primiparity effect, which is also seen in other pregnancy related conditions such as pre-eclampsia, is a potentially important clue to the aetiology of childbirth related mood episodes.

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Background: Comparatively few studies have examined the biological mechanisms that may underlie the reported racial disparities in antenatal and postpartum depression.

Objective: To examine the associations among race, depressive symptoms and the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α across the perinatal period in a diverse sample of healthy pregnant women at elevated psychosocial risk.

Methods: 171 subjects were enrolled.

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Alteration in the HPA axis is a robust biomarker of anxiety and depression in adults, but questions remain about this association in pregnancy. We examined the longitudinal links between diurnal cortisol and mood symptoms from self-report questionnaire and diagnostic interview in an ethnically diverse, psychosocially at-risk sample of 101 women at mid-pregnancy and early third trimester. There were modest but significant associations between depression and elevated cortisol, indexed by a decreased morning level and diminished diurnal decline; the effects were strongest for diagnostic data from clinical interview.

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Objective: To assess the impact of antecedent trauma on the risk of antenatal and postpartum depression in a prospective, longitudinal cohort of pregnant women.

Method: 374 participants (pregnant women aged 20-34 years) were recruited from a hospital-based obstetrics practice serving a predominantly low-income, inner-city population between May 2007 and May 2012. Clinical diagnostic interviews and psychosocial questionnaires were administered at 18 and 32 weeks of gestation and at 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum.

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Objectives: Women who experience postpartum psychosis (PP) seek guidance on further pregnancies and risk of illness; however, empirical data are limited. This study describes reproductive and mental health outcomes in women diagnosed with PP and examines clinical risk factors as predictors of further illness.

Methods: A retrospective cohort design was used; 116 women who experienced episodes of mania or depression with psychotic features within six weeks of childbirth were recruited.

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Prenatal anxiety has been linked with altered immune function in offspring in animal studies, but the relevance for human health is unknown. We examined prenatal maternal anxiety as a predictor of adaptive immunity in infants at 2 and 6 months of age as part of a prospective longitudinal study. The humoral immune response to hepatitis B vaccine was assessed at 2 months (n=80) and 6 months (n=76) of age.

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Objectives: To explore the perceived support needs and preferences of women with postpartum psychosis and their partners.

Design: A multisite, exploratory, qualitative descriptive design was used.

Setting And Participants: A purposive sample of nine mothers (Canada, n = 7, United States, n = 2) and eight fathers (Canada, n = 7, United States, n = 1) was obtained.

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