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BACKGROUND: Psychological issues usually accompany the pregnancy of first-time mothers, and psychoeducational interventions might be effective in addressing these concerns and preparing first-time mothers for childbirth and the postnatal period. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify, analyze, and synthesize the components and determine the effectiveness of psychoeducational interventions that are used for managing psychological issues and enhancing birth preparedness among primigravid women or couples in low- and middle-income countries. STUDY DESIGN: A systematic search of 12 databases (APA PsycINFO, EmCare, Embase, MEDLINE(R), Ovid Nursing, British Nursing Index, Health & Medical Collection, ProQuest, CINAHL, Cochrane, Hinari, and PubMed) was conducted to identify relevant studies published between 1946 and October 2021. The quality of the included studies was appraised by the Joanna and Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool, and a narrative synthesis was performed to analyze data extracted from included articles. The systematic review protocol is registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (registration number: CRD42021237896). RESULTS: The initial search yielded 8658 articles. Of note, 16 articles, including 7 randomized controlled trials and 9 nonrandomized trials, met the inclusion criteria and were selected and reviewed for quality. In addition, 31 outcomes were measured in the studies, including psychological outcomes, birth preparedness outcomes, and other outcomes. The design of the interventions included antenatal education that was delivered through lectures, role plays, trainings, and antenatal counseling. All the psychoeducational interventions had a significant effect (P

Objectives: The transition to parenthood can evoke a range of concerns in parents, profoundly impacting their psychological well-being. The literature regarding the transition to parenthood focuses primarily on functional aspects of parenthood, generally overlooking the psychological well-being of parents., Method: This comprehensive review synthesized studies describing emotional and psychological interventions during the transition to parenthood among participants between 2013 and 2022. A rigorous screening process, conducted by three of the authors, resulted in 18 studies that met the inclusion criteria., Results: This report provides detailed descriptions of these studies, including their characteristics, demographics, types of interventions, and main outcomes. The majority of interventions focused on mothers and mother-infant dyads, with fewer interventions targeting couples, and none addressing fathers or father-infant dyads., Conclusions: The interventions examined were found to be effective in reducing symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and stress among mothers and had positive effects on infants' behaviors, mother-infant synchrony, and co-parenting., Practice Implications: This review stresses the necessity of interventions targeting the transition to parenthood, especially among fathers and marginalized populations, as well as serves to identify barriers faced by vulnerable and minority populations., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This systematic review aimed to synthesise evidence of the effectiveness of psychoeducation in improving self-efficacy and social support and reducing depression and anxiety in first-time mothers., Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted on nine databases, grey literature, and trial registries for randomised controlled trials published from the databases' inception to 27 December 2021. Two independent reviewers screened studies, extracted data, and appraised the risk of bias. RevMan 5.4 was used for the meta-analyses of all outcomes. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were conducted. Overall evidence quality was appraised using GRADE approach., Results: Twelve studies involving 2083 first-time mothers were included. The meta-analyses favoured psychoeducation as compared to control groups. At immediate post-intervention, statistically significant increments were seen in self-efficacy and social support, while a significant reduction in depression was observed but not in anxiety. At three months postpartum, a statistically significant decrease in depression was observed, but the effects on self-efficacy and social support were insignificant., Conclusion: Psychoeducation improved first-time mothers' self-efficacy, social support, and depression. However, the evidence was very uncertain., Practice Implications: Psychoeducation might be incorporated into patient education of first-time mothers. More studies with familial and digital-based psychoeducation interventions, especially in non-Asian countries, are needed., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or the publication of this article., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Almost all babies are breastfed in Papua New Guinea (PNG); yet appropriate breastfeeding practices are not always followed., Aim: To explore the perspectives of first-time mothers in rural PNG on how the language and discourse of grandmothers about infant feeding influence their breastfeeding practices., Methods: A critical discourse analysis (CDA) approach was used to theoretically frame the analysis of twenty first-time mothers' narratives., Findings: Analysis revealed three themes: (i) prescribed knowledge repository, (ii) social control and dominance, and (iii) disapproval and role conflict, which provides an understanding of grandmothers' differing views and positions on infant feeding practices and their influence on breastfeeding., Conclusion: This study shows that grandmothers remain influential in infant feeding practices in rural PNG. There appears to be a societal expectation that empowers grandmothers in the maternal decision-making processes regarding breastfeeding practice. Grandmothers' influence includes the early introduction of complementary foods to infants less than six months old. Interventions aimed at promoting, protecting, and supporting breastfeeding need to include grandmothers., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding confers multiple maternal and child health benefits. Although breastfeeding initiation following birth is common in Papua New Guinea, many first-time mothers may not achieve optimal breastfeeding duration., Aim: This study aims to explore and describe factors influencing early weaning and breastfeeding duration among first-time mothers in Papua New Guinea's rural eastern highlands., Methods: A qualitative descriptive approach was adopted in this study. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 20 first-time mothers. The interviews transcripts were then thematically analysed., Results: Three key themes identified were: source of breastfeeding information and support; social networks and breastfeeding communication; and balancing perceived gender and maternal roles. The study further identified a lack of fathers' involvement in supporting breastfeeding., Conclusion: Social and relational networks, and maternal factors need to be considered to better understand breastfeeding practices. Efforts to achieve optimal breastfeeding outcomes entail targeted and culturally appropriate programs, including fathers' involvement as they play important roles in breastfeeding and infant feeding practices., (Copyright © 2021 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aims were to describe first-time mothers' confidence, mood and stress 2 and 6 months postpartum and to investigate the extent to which the tools measuring maternal confidence and maternal mood used alone or together at 2 months postpartum predict first-time maternal confidence, mood and stress 6 months postpartum., Design: A cohort including 513 first-time mothers' self-reported questionnaires concerning three scales: The Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale (KPCS), the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the Parental Stress Scale (PSS) collected 2 and 6 months postpartum. Descriptive statistic, simple and multiple linear regression analysis were used., Results: First-time mothers' with confidence scores below the clinical cut-off (KPCS <40) fell significantly from 25% to 14% (p < 0.001), symptoms of depression above the clinical cut-off (EPDS ≥ 8) fell significantly from 16% to 12% (p < 0.001), and parental stress as a mother fell significantly from a mean of 32.88 to 30.98 (p < 0.001). The KPCS assessed at 2 months postpartum was the strongest predictor for both maternal confidence (R 2  = 0.38) and parental stress (R 2  = 0.26) 6 months postpartum., Conclusion: The results support the assumption that parenthood is a complicated period for first-time mothers characterised by low confidence, symptoms of depression and high stress which improve over time for the majority of mothers. The KPCS at 2 months postpartum was the strongest predictor of the measures used. Further research is needed to identify parents who are struggling, especially for health professionals' whose role is to support parents in their parenthood the first period after birth., (Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier India Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Mental health disorders are a leading cause of disability worldwide, including in first-time mothers. Understanding the associations between diet and depressive symptoms could assist in improving mental health status in this group., Objective: Our aim was to determine the association between diet quality, fruit, vegetable, and fish consumption and depressive symptoms in first-time mothers aged 19 to 45 years., Design: We analyzed cross-sectional, baseline data (3 months postpartum) from the Melbourne InFANT (Infant Feeding, Activity, and Nutrition Trial) Extend Program., Participants/setting: Participants were first-time Australian mothers aged 19 to 45 years from the Geelong and Melbourne regions of Victoria, Australia (n=457)., Main Outcome Measures: A self-administered, 137-item food frequency questionnaire assessed dietary intake over the past year. Adherence to the 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines was assessed using the Dietary Guideline Index as a measure of diet quality. Depressive symptoms were determined using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale., Statistical Analysis Performed: Relationships between diet quality, fruit, vegetable, and fish intake and depressive symptoms were investigated using linear regression adjusted for relevant covariates (age, smoking status, sleep quality, education, physical activity status, and body mass index)., Results: Better diet quality, as indicated by a higher score on the Dietary Guideline Index, was associated with lower depressive symptoms after adjusting for relevant covariates (β=-.034; 95% CI -.056 to -0.012). There were no other associations between dietary intake and depressive symptoms., Conclusions: Adherence to the Australian Dietary Guidelines was associated with better mental health status among first-time mothers. Further research, including longitudinal and intervention studies, are required to determine causality between dietary intake and depressive symptoms, which might help inform future public health nutrition programs for this target group., (Copyright © 2016 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)