Effectiveness of a web-enabled psychoeducational resource for postpartum depression and anxiety among women in British Columbia.

Purpose: Postpartum depression (PPD) and anxiety (PPA) affect nearly one-quarter (23%) of women in Canada. eHealth is a promising solution for increasing access to postpartum mental healthcare. However, a user-centered approach is not routinely taken in the development of web-enabled resources, leaving postpartum women out of critical decision-making processes.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder that frequently persists into adulthood with 3% of adult women having a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Many women are diagnosed and treated during their reproductive years, which leads to management implications during pregnancy and the postpartum period. We know from clinical practice that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms frequently become challenging to manage during the perinatal period and require additional support and attention.

Virtual Delivery of Parent Coaching Interventions in Early Childhood Mental Health: A Scoping Review.

Parent-coaching interventions positively impact child development. Virtual delivery of such interventions is supported by literature reviews and a practice guideline, however, none of these focused on children under age six. A scoping review of virtually-delivered parent-coaching interventions for disruptive behaviour, anxiety, and parent-child relationship concerns in children under age six was conducted between Dec.

Feasibility of online mindfulness-based interventions for families affected with postpartum depression and anxiety: study protocol.

Introduction: Postpartum depression and anxiety (PPDA) is experienced by up to 20% of families in the first year. The condition impacts not only parents but also their developing child. While mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) have shown to be beneficial for this population, many parents do not have access to treatment or find it challenging to commit or complete the treatment.

Relationships Between Maternal Perinatal Mood, Sex of Infant, and Disappointment with Sex of Infant in a North American Sample.

Objectives: Little is known about the relationships between sex of infant, disappointment with sex of infant, and risk for perinatal depression, particularly in societies where the nature of parental sex preference is thought to be "balanced" between male and female offspring. We sought to explore relationships between these variables in a North American population.

Methods: In this exploratory study, we used data from a large Canadian prospective longitudinal study in which data were collected at up to four timepoints: during pregnancy, and at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months postpartum.

A cross-sectional study of the relationship between CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 variations and depression symptoms, for women taking SSRIs during pregnancy.

Depression during pregnancy affects 10-15% of women, and 5% of women take antidepressants during pregnancy. Clinical guidelines provide recommendations for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drug choice and dose based on CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 genotype; however, they are based on evidence from non-pregnant cohorts. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that women with function-altering variants (increased, decreased, or no function) in these pharmacogenes, taking SSRIs prenatally, would have more depression symptoms than women whose pharmacogenetic variants are associated with normal SSRI metabolism.

A Randomized Controlled Trial on the Effect of Standardized Video Education on Prenatal Genetic Testing Choices: Uptake of Genetic Testing.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the use of a standardized prenatal genetic testing educational video and its effects on patient uptake of prenatal testing, patient knowledge, decisional conflict, and decisional regret.

Study Design: This was an Institutional Review Board-approved randomized controlled trial. Patients were randomized to intervention (standardized video education) or control (no video education).

A prospective study to explore the relationship between MTHFR C677T genotype, physiological folate levels, and postpartum psychopathology in at-risk women.

Background: The etiology of postpartum psychopathologies are not well understood, but folate metabolism pathways are of potential interest. Demands for folate increase dramatically during pregnancy, low folate level has been associated with psychiatric disorders, and supplementation may improve symptomatology. The MTHFR C677T variant influences folate metabolism and has been implicated in depression during pregnancy.

Genetic counselors with advanced skills: I. Refining a model of advanced training.

Advanced training for master's trained genetic counselors has been a topic for many years. In 2016, Baty et al. published a model of advanced training for genetic counselors that interconnects three grids: skills, paths, and positions.

Genetic counselors with advanced skills: II. A new career trajectory framework.

Career development frameworks help professionals better understand career decision-making, but the genetic counseling field lacks a comprehensive framework to describe career development. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore commonalities across participants' career trajectories and identify factors which influence decision-making throughout genetic counseling careers. Using purposive sampling, 17 genetic counselors with advanced skills were interviewed about their career trajectories, factors which influenced career decisions, and the process and outcomes of those decisions.

Pharmacogenomic Testing: Clinical Evidence and Implementation Challenges.

Pharmacogenomics can enhance patient care by enabling treatments tailored to genetic make-up and lowering risk of serious adverse events. As of June 2019, there are 132 pharmacogenomic dosing guidelines for 99 drugs and pharmacogenomic information is included in 309 medication labels. Recently, the technology for identifying individual-specific genetic variants (genotyping) has become more accessible.

A Matched Cohort Study of Postpartum Placentophagy in Women With a History of Mood Disorders: No Evidence for Impact on Mood, Energy, Vitamin B Levels, or Lactation.

Objective: Although empirical studies investigating its effects are scarce, postpartum placentophagy is increasing in popularity because of purported benefits on mood, energy, lactation, and overall nutrition. Therefore, this study sought to test the hypotheses that women who consumed their placenta (placentophagy exposed [PE]) would have (1) fewer depressive symptoms, (2) more energy, (3) higher vitamin B levels, and (4) less pharmaceutical lactation support during the postpartum than women who did not consume their placenta (non-placentophagy exposed [NE]).

Methods: Using data from a large, longitudinal study of gene × environment effects involving perinatal women with a history of mood disorders, the study investigators identified a PE cohort and matched them 4:1 (by psychiatric diagnosis, psychotropic medication use, supplementation, income, and age) with an NE cohort from the same dataset.

Women's decision making about antidepressant use during pregnancy: A narrative review.

Background: Depression is common, particularly among women of childbearing age, and can have far-reaching negative consequences if untreated. Efficacious treatments are available, but little is known about how women make depression treatment decisions during pregnancy. The purpose of this narrative review is to interpretively synthesize literature on women's decision making (DM) regarding antidepressant use during pregnancy.

Genetic counseling students' experiences with mental illness during training: An exploratory study.

Mental illness is a substantive issue for graduate students. We investigated experiences of mental illness during training among genetic counseling students, a subgroup of graduate students for which little data exists on this topic. Genetic counseling students and recent graduates ( = 227) completed an online survey, from who 11 were selected to participate in semi-structured telephone interviews.

Self-Stigma in Relatives of people with Mental Illness scale: development and validation.

Background: Serious mental illness (SMI) is profoundly stigmatised, such that there is even an impact on relatives of people with SMI. Aims To develop and validate a scale to comprehensively measure self-stigma among first-degree relatives of individuals with SMI.

Method: We conducted group interviews focusing on self-stigma with first-degree relatives (n = 20) of people with SMI, from which 74 representative quotations were reframed as Likert-type items.

Training to Provide Psychiatric Genetic Counseling: How Does It Impact Recent Graduates' and Current Students' Readiness to Provide Genetic Counseling for Individuals with Psychiatric Illness and Attitudes towards this Population?

Mental illness is extremely common and genetic counselors frequently see patients with mental illness. Genetic counselors report discomfort in providing psychiatric genetic counseling (GC), suggesting the need to look critically at training for psychiatric GC. This study aimed to investigate psychiatric GC training and its impact on perceived preparedness to provide psychiatric GC (preparedness).

Short interpregnancy intervals, maternal folate levels, and infants born small for gestational age: a preliminary study in a Canadian supplement-using population.

Short interpregnancy intervals (SIPI) have been associated with increased risks for adverse neonatal outcomes including preterm delivery and infants small for gestational age (SGA). It has been suggested that mechanistically, adverse neonatal outcomes after SIPI arise due to insufficient recovery of depleted maternal folate levels prior to the second pregnancy. However, empirical data are lacking regarding physiological folate levels in pregnant women with SIPI and relationships between quantified physiological folate levels and outcomes like SGA.

Breast Cancer and Mammography Screening: Knowledge, Beliefs and Predictors for Asian Immigrant Women Attending a Specialized Clinic in British Columbia, Canada.

Screening mammography (MMG) reduces breast cancer mortality; however, Asian immigrant women underutilize MMG. The Asian Women's Health Clinic (AWHC) was established to promote women's cancer screening amongst this population. This study evaluated the rate, and predictors, of MMG amongst women attending the AWHC.

Impact of increased risk for fetal aneuploidy on maternal mood: a prospective longitudinal study.

Introduction: Our goal was to prospectively compare the trajectories of depression symptoms through pregnancy and postpartum between women who received normal prenatal screening results and those whose results indicated an increased risk for fetal aneuploidy.

Material And Methods: Women completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at 4-week intervals between <26 weeks' gestation and 3 months postpartum. We categorized women into four groups: (i) negative serum screening and ultrasound results (SS(-) /US(-) , n = 103), (ii) positive serum screening/negative ultrasound results (SS(+) /US(-) , n = 42), (iii) negative serum screening/positive ultrasound results (SS(-) /US(+) , n = 19), or (iv) positive serum screening and ultrasound results (SS(+) /US(+) , n = 13), and compared EPDS scores between groups using Poisson regression.

A pilot randomized clinical trial evaluating the impact of genetic counseling for serious mental illnesses.

Objective: The serious mental illnesses schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder are complex conditions affecting 1% to 4% of the population. Individuals with serious mental illnesses express interest in genetic counseling, an intervention showing promise for increasing patient knowledge and adaptation. This trial aimed to evaluate the effects of genetic counseling for people with serious mental illnesses as compared to an educational intervention or wait list.

Put Yourself at the Helm: Charting New Territory, Correcting Course, and Weathering the Storm of Career Trajectories.

What bearing have you set you set your sights on? How do you navigate the ever-changing swells and winds of our professional landscape? Are you feeling a nebulous desire for change, that your career is not going in the direction you were expecting, worry about lack of future opportunities, or even a deep dissatisfaction in your current position? You are not alone. The formation of the Committee on Advanced Training for Certified Genetic Counselors (CATCGC) was partly in response to such sentiments, expressed within a vibrant dialogue amongst members of the genetic counseling community. The CATCGC sought to understand how genetic counselors chart courses for their careers by conducting a Decision Points exercise during a pre-conference symposium (PCS) at the 2014 NSGC Annual Education Conference.