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Numerous research studies of catastrophic events suggest that stress linked to events such as pandemics, earthquakes and famine may be associated with immediate and long-lasting mental and physical...

Unlike many physical health problems where diagnosis can often be determined by a specific set of symptoms which are either visible or measureable in a relatively unambiguous and quantifiable way, ...

There are widely recognised perinatal mental health disorders such as postnatal depression and postpartum psychosis that highlight the uniqueness of perinatal events and their potential impact on m...

A current priority within maternity care is to identify and support women with mental health problems and stigma is a major barrier to achieving this. Stigma has its roots in difference. A mental o...

For most of us 2020 was a year of remote working, disrupted research projects and online meetings/conferences. While online meetings have many challenges, never has staying in touch with each other...

The National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) had its 40th Anniversary Symposium this October and it was a privilege to speak on ‘Enduring questions in perinatal psychology’. It was great to cele...

‘All childbearing women need and deserve respectful care and protection of their autonomy and right to self-determination; this includes care to protect the mother-baby pair as well as marginalized...

The development of new methods of investigation of brain and cognitive development have revealed amazing learning abilities in infants even before they can talk or walk. At the same time, this rese...

Hearing from women in their own words about their experience of pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period is an important way of learning about their care from their point of view (Green, 2012...

Background: The Prenatal Distress Questionnaire (PDQ) is a short measure designed to assess specific worries and concerns related to pregnancy. The aim of this study was to confirm the factor structure of the PDQ in a group of pregnant women with a small for gestational age infant (< 10th centile). Methods: The first PDQ assessment for each of 337 pregnant women participating in the Prospective Observational Trial to Optimise paediatric health (PORTO) study was analysed. All women enrolled in the study were identified as having a small for gestational age foetus (< 10th centile), thus representing an 'elevated risk' group. Data were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Three models of the PDQ were evaluated and compared in the current study: a theoretical uni-dimensional measurement model, a bi-dimensional model, and a three-factor model solution. Results: The three-factor model offered the best fit to the data while maintaining sound theoretical grounds(χ2 (51df) = 128.52; CFI = 0.97; TLI = 0.96; RMSEA = 0.07). Factor 1 contained items reflecting concerns about birth and the baby, factor 2 concerns about physical symptoms and body image and factor 3 concerns about emotions and relationships. Conclusions: CFA confirmed that the three-factor model provided the best fit, with the items in each factor reflecting the findings of an earlier exploratory data analysis. © 2013 Society for Reproductive and Infant Psychology.

Prematurity is the most important determinant of adverse neurological and intellectual outcomes (Saigal & Doyle, 2008) and remains a major global challenge despite many developments that have impro...

In February 2016, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced a Public Health Emergency of International Concern following the identification of a cluster of cases of microcephaly reported in Bra...