Publications by authors named "Ruth Kirk Ertmann"
Purpose: This study investigated whether maternal antenatal attachment (MAA) in the third trimester was associated with self-reported problematic infant crying at eight weeks postnatally and explored links with postnatal depressive symptoms.
Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted with 1287 pregnant participants in Danish general practice. MAA was measured using the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS) in the third trimester.
Background: Pregnancy vulnerability contributes to poor perinatal mental health. Proper cross-sectoral collaboration may mitigate perinatal mental health problems. General practitioners (GPs) often face barriers when assessing pregnancy vulnerability, but little is known about GPs' perceived barriers to the cross-sectoral collaboration on vulnerable pregnant women.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Family psychosocial challenges during the early years of a child's life are associated with later mental and physical health problems for the child. An increased psychosocial focus on parents in routine child developmental assessments may therefore be justified.
Methods: Participants in this qualitative study included 11 mothers and one parental couple (mother and father) with children aged 9-23 months.
Background: Social, emotional and behavioural problems in early childhood are associated with increased risk for a wide range of poor outcomes associated with substantial cost and impact on society as a whole. Some of these problems are rooted in the early mother-infant relationship and might be prevented. In Denmark, primary health care has a central role in preventive care during pregnancy and the first years of the child's life and general practice provides opportunities to promote a healthy mother-infant relationship in early parenthood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Undetected vulnerability in pregnancy contributes to inequality in maternal and perinatal health and is associated with negative birth outcomes and adverse child outcomes. Nationwide reports indicate important barriers to assessing vulnerability among Danish general practitioners.
Objective: To explore general practitioners perceived barriers to vulnerability assessment in pregnant women and whether the barriers are associated with practice organization of antenatal care, general practitioner, and practice characteristics.
Introduction: The aim was to investigate whether common pregnancy-related symptoms-nausea, vomiting, back pain, pelvic girdle pain, pelvic cavity pain, vaginal bleeding, itching of vulva, pregnancy itching, leg cramps, uterine contractions and varicose veins-in the first trimester of pregnancy add to the identification of women at high risk of future pregnancy and birth complications.
Material And Methods: Survey data linked to national register data. All women booking an appointment for a first prenatal visit in one of 192 randomly selected General Practices in East Denmark in the period April 2015-August 2016.
Mental well-being during stages of COVID-19 lockdown among pregnant women and new mothers.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth
February 2022
Background: Pregnancy and early motherhood are sensitive times where epidemic disease outbreaks can affect mental health negatively. Countries and health care systems handled the pandemic and lockdowns differently and knowledge about how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental well-being of pregnant women and new mothers is limited and points in different directions.
Aim: To investigate symptoms of anxiety and depression in a population of pregnant women and new mothers in various stages of infection pressure and lockdown during the first 15 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark.
Background: Infant crying may cause concerns among new parents and is a frequent reason for seeking help from their general practitioner (GP). The etiology of crying problems in infancy is not fully understood, but recent studies have found associations with maternal mental factors. It is well-established that postpartum depression is related to infant crying problems while the influence of maternal mental problems in pregnancy on infant crying is less investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Maternal mental distress in pregnancy can be damaging to the mother's and child's physical and mental health. This study aimed to provide an insight into mental well-being of pregnant women in Denmark during COVID-19 by assessing symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Methods: Data from two cohorts of pregnant women recruited from Danish general practice were compared.
Introduction: Pandemics are known to cause stress and anxiety in pregnant women. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown of the Danish society, pregnant women were considered to be at increased risk, and access to antenatal care changed.
Methods: On 8 April 2020A, a questionnaire was sent to 332 pregnant women previously sampled by general practitioners in two Danish regions.
Introduction: There is no evidence on how motor function is best evaluated in children in a low-risk setting. The method used in the Danish Preventive Child Health Examination Programme (DPCHEP) in general practise has not been validated. The objective of this review was to identify existing motor function tests for 0-2-year-old children that were validated for use in the background population and which are suitable for use in the DPCHEP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Few areas of medicine demonstrate such international divergence as child development screening and surveillance. Many countries have nationally mandated surveillance policies, but the content of programmes and mechanisms for delivery vary enormously. The cost of programmes is substantial but no economic evaluations have been carried out.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: Children with recurrent pain rely on their parents to acknowledge it. We compared pain reported by healthy children and their mothers, to evaluate their agreement, and also looked at the effect of maternal health on children's pain.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey in Danish public schools.
Introduction: Even though fever is a common symptom in childhood, it often worries parents and they may try to reduce discomfort by giving the child paracetamol, which is currently the most commonly sold over-the-counter medicine. The objective of this study was to investigate parent-administered paracetamol in toddlers during a winter-period in relation to symptoms, doctor contacts and severity-rated illness.
Material And Methods: The study was conducted as a prospective diary study covering a three-month winter-period.
Introduction: General practice is a subject with a relatively short scientific tradition. The purpose of this study was to elucidate who gives long-cycle general practice research supervision in Denmark, who is supervised and how research students get on.
Materials And Methods: All research students with research advisers in the field of general practice filled out a questionnaire in 1997 (n = 50) and 2003 (n = 52).
Objective: To explore situations in which parents with an ill child consult a physician and to identify trigger factors for consultation.
Design And Settings: Qualitative interviews with parents of young children. Parents were asked to describe the situation in which the decision to contact the physician was made.