Health-related quality of life of mothers of very low birth weight children at the age of five: results from the Newborn Lung Project Statewide Cohort Study.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in mothers of 5-year-old very low birth weight (VLBW) and normal birth weight (NBW) children, with a focus on the role of stress.

Methods: This cohort study is ancillary to the Newborn Lung Project. A telephone interview collected information on symptoms of stress and HRQoL from 297 mothers of VLBW children and 290 mothers of NBW children who were enrolled in the Newborn Lung Project Statewide Cohort Study.

Poor prepregnancy and antepartum mental health predicts postpartum mental health problems among US women: a nationally representative population-based study.

Purpose: Mental health problems disproportionately affect women, particularly during the childbearing years. However, there is a paucity of research on the determinants of postpartum mental health problems using representative US populations. Taking a life course perspective, we determined the potential risk factors for postpartum mental health problems, with a particular focus on the role of mental health before and during pregnancy.

The prevalence and determinants of antepartum mental health problems among women in the USA: a nationally representative population-based study.

Mental health problems disproportionately affect women, particularly during childbearing years. We sought to estimate the prevalence of antepartum mental health problems and determine potential risk factors in a representative USA population. We examined data on 3,051 pregnant women from 11 panels of the 1996-2006 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

Stress-mediated quality of life outcomes in parents of childhood cancer and brain tumor survivors: a case-control study.

Purpose: To determine if caring for a child with cancer or a brain tumor affects parental health and mental health and if and to what extent stress mediates the relationship between case status and parental quality of life.

Methods: In person interviewer-assisted surveys were administered to 74 case dyads (children diagnosed with cancer or a brain tumor and their parents) and 129 control dyads (children without health problems and their parents from a community sample) to assess health-related quality of life and perceived levels of stress.

Results: Parents of children with cancer or a brain tumor had significantly worse health-related quality of life, including worse overall mental health.