Early employment after childbirth: a cross-sectional analysis using data from a national maternity survey in England.

Background: Participation in paid work after childbirth may have important health and socioeconomic impacts on women and their families. We investigated women's employment patterns at six months postpartum and the factors that influence them.

Methods: Using data from a 2018 population-based national maternity survey in England, employment status at six months postpartum was assessed.

Public health, policy, and clinical interventions to improve perinatal care for migrant women and infants in high-income countries: a systematic review.

Background: Migrant women who are pregnant or postpartum and their infants are often at increased risk of poorer perinatal outcomes compared to host country populations. This review aimed to identify public health, policy, and clinical interventions to improve maternity care for migrant women and their infants in high-income countries (HICs).

Methods: In this systematic review we searched EMBASE, EMCARE, MEDLINE and PsycINFO, CENTRAL, Scopus, CINAHL Plus, Web of Science, and grey literature from inception to 13th March 2024, with no language or date restrictions (PROSPERO: CRD42022380678).

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on postnatal anxiety and posttraumatic stress: Analysis of two population-based national maternity surveys in England.

Background: Few studies have evaluated postnatal anxiety and posttraumatic stress (PTS) before and during the Covid-19 pandemic using comparable data across time. We used data from two national maternity surveys in England to explore the impact of the pandemic on prevalence and risk factors for postnatal anxiety and PTS.

Methods: Analysis was conducted using population-based surveys carried out in 2018 (n = 4509) and 2020 (n = 4611).

Women's awareness of perinatal mental health conditions and the acceptability of being asked about mental health in two regions in India: a qualitative study.

Background: Mental health conditions are common during pregnancy and the first year after childbirth. Early detection allows timely support and treatment to be offered, but identifying perinatal mental health conditions may be challenging due to stigma and under-recognition of symptoms. Asking about symptoms of mental health conditions during routine antenatal and postnatal appointments can help to identify women at risk.

Interventions to improve perinatal outcomes among migrant women in high-income countries: a systematic review protocol.

Introduction: Women who are migrants and who are pregnant or postpartum are at high risk of poorer perinatal outcomes compared with host country populations due to experiencing numerous additional stressors including social exclusion and language barriers. High-income countries (HICs) host many migrants, including forced migrants who may face additional challenges in the peripartum period. Although HICs' maternity care systems are often well developed, they are not routinely tailored to the needs of migrant women.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on postnatal depression: analysis of three population-based national maternity surveys in England (2014-2020).

Background: Few studies have evaluated postnatal depression before and during the Covid-19 pandemic using comparable data across time. We used data from three national maternity surveys in England to compare prevalence and risk factors for postnatal depression before and during the pandemic.

Methods: Analysis was conducted using population-based surveys carried out in 2014 (n = 4571), 2018 (n = 4509), and 2020 (n = 4611).

The global burden of perinatal common mental health disorders and substance use among migrant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: There are one billion migrants globally, of whom 82 million are forced migrants. Pregnant migrants face pre-migration stressors such as conflict, transit stressors including poverty, and post-migration stressors including navigating the immigration system; these stressors can make them vulnerable to mental illness. We aimed to assess the global prevalence of and risk factors for perinatal mental health disorders or substance use among women who are migrants.

A Comparison of Three Measures to Identify Postnatal Anxiety: Analysis of the 2020 National Maternity Survey in England.

Perinatal anxiety affects an estimated 15% of women globally and is associated with poor maternal and infant outcomes. Identifying women with anxiety is essential to prevent these adverse associations, but there are a number of challenges around measurement. We used data from England's 2020 National Maternity Survey to compare the prevalence of anxiety symptoms at six months postpartum using three different measures: the two-item Generalised Anxiety Disorders Scale (GAD-2), the anxiety subscales of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS-3A) and a direct question.

Identifying postnatal anxiety: comparison of self-identified and self-reported anxiety using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale.

Background: Identifying women with perinatal anxiety is important in order to provide timely support and prevent adverse outcomes. Self-report instruments are commonly used in maternity settings. An alternative is to ask women directly whether they self-identify as having anxiety.

Validated tools to identify common mental disorders in the perinatal period: A systematic review of systematic reviews.

Background: Uncertainty remains regarding the validity of screening tools to detect common mental disorders (CMDs) during perinatal periods. This umbrella review aims to provide an up-to-date summary of psychometric properties of tools for the identification of perinatal CMDs.

Methods: Reviews were identified via Ovid MEDLINE, PsychINFO, EMBASE, Global Health and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews electronic databases with no date or language restriction.

Perinatal mental health in India: protocol for a validation and cohort study.

Background: Common mental disorders (CMD) are among the largest contributors to global maternal morbidity and mortality. Although research on perinatal mental health in India has grown in recent years, important evidence gaps remain, especially regarding CMD. Our study aims to improve understanding of CMD among perinatal and non-perinatal women of reproductive age across two settings in India: Bangalore (Karnataka) and Tanda (Himachal Pradesh).

Perinatal depression in migrant and refugee women on the Thai-Myanmar border: does social support matter?

Migrant and refugee women are at risk of perinatal depression due to stressors experienced before, during and after migration. This study assesses the associations between social support and perinatal depression among migrant and refugee women on the Thai-Myanmar border. We conducted a cohort study of pregnant and post-partum women.

Validated screening tools to identify common mental disorders in perinatal and postpartum women in India: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Perinatal common mental disorders are associated with significant adverse outcomes for women and their families, particularly in low- and middle-income settings. Early detection through screening with locally-validated tools can improve outcomes.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Global Health, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Google Scholar for articles on the validation of screening tools for common mental disorders in perinatal women in India, with no language or date restrictions.

Identifying postnatal depression: Comparison of a self-reported depression item with Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores at three months postpartum.

Background: Early identification of postnatal depression is important in order to minimize adverse outcomes. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is commonly used as a screening tool but a single, direct question on depression may offer an alternative means of identifying women in need of support. This study examines the agreement between these methods and characteristics of women who self-identify as depressed and those with EPDS ≥ 13.

Health impacts of parental migration on left-behind children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Globally, a growing number of children and adolescents are left behind when parents migrate. We investigated the effect of parental migration on the health of left behind-children and adolescents in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Methods: For this systematic review and meta-analysis we searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PsychINFO, Global Index Medicus, Scopus, and Popline from inception to April 27, 2017, without language restrictions, for observational studies investigating the effects of parental migration on nutrition, mental health, unintentional injuries, infectious disease, substance use, unprotected sex, early pregnancy, and abuse in left-behind children (aged 0-19 years) in LMICs.

Living with severe perinatal depression: a qualitative study of the experiences of labour migrant and refugee women on the Thai-Myanmar border.

Background: Perinatal depression is an important contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Migrant women, particularly those resettling within low- and middle-income settings, are at increased risk of perinatal depression due to multiple stressors experienced before, during and after migration. Evidence on migrant perinatal mental health to date has focused largely on women in high-income destination countries, leaving the voices of displaced women in low-income settings unheard.

Adolescents' perceptions and experiences of pregnancy in refugee and migrant communities on the Thailand-Myanmar border: a qualitative study.

Background: Adolescent pregnancy remains a global health concern, contributing to 11% of all births worldwide and 23% of the overall burden of disease in girls aged 15-19 years. Premature motherhood can create a negative cycle of adverse health, economic and social outcomes for young women, their babies and families. Refugee and migrant adolescent girls might be particularly at risk due to poverty, poor education and health infrastructure, early marriage, limited access to contraception and traditional beliefs.

Validation of the Refugee Health Screener-15 for the assessment of perinatal depression among Karen and Burmese women on the Thai-Myanmar border.

Perinatal depression is common, and left untreated can have significant and long-lasting consequences for women, their children and their families. Migrant women are at particular risk of perinatal depression as a result of a multitude of stressors experienced before, during and after migration. Identification of perinatal depression among migrant women-particularly those living in low- and middle-income regions-remains challenging, partly due to the lack of locally-validated and culturally appropriate screens tools.