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Background: As India reduced maternal mortality by 50% in the last decade, the mental health of mothers has slowly started catching our attention. Increased participation of women in the economic sector and awareness of women's rights has added to this process. Perinatal depression has been associated with negative birth outcomes and poor child development. The paucity of research from eastern India poses challenges for physicians and hinders effective medical interventions. Aim: To investigate the effect of antenatal and postnatal depression on child development at 12 months of age. Method: In total, 174 mothers were administered Bengali Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS-B) for assessment of antenatal and postnatal depression. Developmental Assessment Scale in Indian Infants (DASII) was administered to assess the motor and cognitive development of their children (n = 153) at 12 months. Result: The prevalence of antenatal and postnatal depression was 28.7% and 16.7%, respectively. Antenatal depression predicted postnatal depression (β = 0.631). Mothers with AD scored significantly low on family support measures (P = 0.012). Children of mothers with AD had low motor and cognitive attainment at the age of 12 months (P = 0.022). Conclusion: Screening and treatment of mental health need to be included in the antenatal care routine to facilitate appropriate child development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 is beneficial for reduction of crying time in infantile colic, as demonstrated through multiple randomized controlled clinical trials. This clinic-based real-life study is the first to evaluate the role of L. reuteri DSM 17938 in infantile colic in India. We observed that L. reuteri DSM 17938 supplementation in infantile colic subjects resulted in a significant reduction of crying time and unexplained fussiness. A significant number of subjects reported 50% reduction in crying time throughout the study duration. There was also a significant reduction in maternal depression scores, from baseline to study end. Background: Infantile colic is characterized by prolonged periods of inconsolable, incessant crying and persistent fussing in an otherwise healthy infant. It is a self-limiting condition, but causes significant stress to mothers. AIM: To observe the role of Lactobacillus reuteriDSM 17938 in reducing crying time in colicky infants in routine clinical practice. Methods: This was a prospective observational multicentric clinic-based study. Each practitioner included approximately 30 infants < 5 months of age with infantile colic who were prescribed L. reuteri DSM 17938 for a period of 21 days. There were four physical consultations and two telephonic consultations. The parents were given a daily diary to record the duration of crying and fussing episodes and a questionnaire was administered during the consultations. Results: A total of 120 infants with a mean age of 56.9 ± 34.2 days were included in this 28-day study. The mean crying time as reported by the parents in the subject diary reduced from 248.2 ± 101.2 min, 95% CI: 229.45, 266.94 at baseline to 45.6 ± 79.1 min 95% CI: 31.02, 60.31 at study end (P < 0.01). The clinical response (defined as reduction of 50% in crying time) was observed in 85% of subjects at study end. The fussiness and parental perception of colic recorded during the consultations were reduced by 66% and 72%, respectively, at study end. The maternal depression scores were reduced to 63% at study end. Conclusion: L. reuteri DSM 17938 was associated with a significant reduction in crying time in colicky infants, and showed improvement in maternal depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Globally, around half of all under-5 deaths are attributable to undernutrition. The magnitude of child undernutrition in India is one of the highest in the world. Responsive feeding that has the potential to optimize nutrition and development depends on a "healthy mother". Objectives: The objective of this study was to find out the magnitude and determinants of maternal depression among mothers of infants who attended immunization clinic in a rural medical college in central India and observe its association with infant-feeding practices and nutritional status of infants. Study Design: This was an analytical cross-sectional study. Materials and Methods: Study was conducted among consecutively chosen 300 mothers and their infants who visited the immunization clinic of hospital during May-September, 2016. Data were collected individually by interviewing each mother, and anthropometry of her infant was done. The mothers with depression were diagnosed according to the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Magnitude of depression has been reported using frequency and percentage, whereas association has been studied using prevalence odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI) and logistic regression at 0.05 significance level. Results: The magnitude of maternal depression was 19% (95% CI 14.4-23.5). Mothers with depression had significantly higher odds for not indulging in responsive feeding. Maternal education had significant association with maternal depression after adjusting for other variables. Conclusions: Burden of maternal depression is high among mothers of infants who attended immunization clinic in a rural medical college in central India and is significantly associated with nonresponsive feeding practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal depression is an important public health concern. We investigated whether a national-scale initiative that provides cash transfers to women giving birth in government health facilities, the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), reduced maternal depression in India’s largest state, Uttar Pradesh. Using primary data on 1695 women collected in early 2015, our quasi-experimental design exploited the fact that some women did not receive the JSY cash due to administrative problems in its disbursement – reasons that are unlikely to be correlated with determinants of maternal depression. We found that receipt of the cash was associated with an 8.5% reduction in the continuous measure of maternal depression and a 36% reduction in moderate depression. There was no evidence of an association with measures of emotional well-being, namely happiness and worry. The results suggest that the JSY had a clinically meaningful effect in reducing the burden of maternal depression, possibly by lessening the financial strain of delivery care. They contribute to the evidence that financial incentive schemes may have public health benefits beyond improving uptake of targeted health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Maternal depression during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of adverse child outcomes. One potential mechanism is the influence of antenatal depression on the foetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. This can be observed as disturbances in baseline cortisol secretion during childhood. The influence of antenatal depression on infant cortisol reactivity to a stressor may provide further insight into this association. In addition, the dose-response relationship between foetal exposure to antenatal depression and infant cortisol reactivity is unclear. Methods A consecutive sample of 133 pregnant women in their third trimester was recruited from an antenatal clinic in Karnataka, South India. Women were assessed for depression before and after birth on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale ( EPDS) and the Kessler 10 Scale. Salivary cortisol response to immunization was measured in 58 infants at 2 months of age. We aimed (i) to investigate the association between antenatal depression and infant cortisol reactivity to immunization and (ii) to explore whether the relationship is dose-dependent. Results Exposure to antenatal depression independently predicted elevated infant cortisol responses to immunization ( β = 0.53, P = 0.04). The association was found to be U-shaped, for antenatal depression measured on the EPDS, with the infants exposed to the highest and lowest levels of maternal antenatal EPDS scores during intra-uterine life showing elevated cortisol responses to immunization ( R2 = 0.20, P = 0.02). Infants exposed to moderate levels of maternal antenatal depression showed the lowest cortisol response to immunization. Conclusions These findings suggest that the association between antenatal depression and infant cortisol reactivity is dose-dependent and U-shaped, implying that infants exposed to both low and high levels of maternal depression showed greater reactivity. The study provides the first evidence of such an association from a low-income setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Maternal common mental disorders are prevalent in low-resource settings and have far-reaching consequences for maternal and child health. We assessed the prevalence and predictors of psychological distress as a proxy for common mental disorders among mothers in rural Jharkhand and Orissa, eastern India, where over 40% of the population live below the poverty line and access to reproductive and mental health services is low. Method: We screened 5801 mothers around 6weeks after delivery using the Kessler-10 item scale, and identified predictors of distress using multiple hierarchical logistic regression. Results: 11.5% (95% CI: 10.7–12.3) of mothers had symptoms of distress (K10 score >15). High maternal age, low asset ownership, health problems in the antepartum, delivery or postpartum periods, caesarean section, an unwanted pregnancy for the mother, small perceived infant size and a stillbirth or neonatal death were all independently associated with an increased risk of distress. The loss of an infant or an unwanted pregnancy increased the risk of distress considerably (AORs: 7.06 95% CI: 5.51–9.04 and 1.49, 95% CI: 1.12–1.97, respectively). Limitations: We did not collect data on antepartum depression, domestic violence or a mother''s past birth history, and were therefore unable to examine the importance of these factors as predictors of psychological distress. Conclusions: Mothers living in underserved areas of India who experience infant loss, an unwanted pregnancy, health problems in the perinatal and postpartum periods and socio-economic disadvantage are at increased risk of distress and require access to reproductive healthcare with integrated mental health interventions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study explores the pre-diagnosis perceptions and experiences of semi-urban women regarding maternal depression and the issues in the follow-up of its treatment. Using the patient's end of Kleinman's Explanatory Model of Illness, it documents the whole episode of maternal depression in women. The main focus group of this study includes the women diagnosed with maternal depression and registered in the health facilities of Rawalpindi. Research was conducted in one primary health facility i.e. rural health centre of Khayaban e Sir Syed and one secondary health facility i.e. the Tehsil Headquarter Hospital of Taxila that were subject to the Mother and Child Health Program under the Rural Health Sector Reform Project in Punjab. The data shows that the socio-cultural setting of the women affects their perspectives and beliefs regarding maternal depression as well as shapes their health-seeking behavior, as there seemed to be a preference of religious and cultural coping mechanisms resulting in poor compliance with medical services and hurdles in the follow-up of medical treatment. Through understanding the illness beliefs of these women, effective measures can be taken for the provision of better health facilities and ensuring their follow-up.

Background: The prevalence of Postpartum Depression (PPD) in the world is estimated to range from 10 to 30%. In India, about 22% of mothers suffer from postpartum depression., Purpose: Study objective is to examine the prevalence and covariates of postpartum depression among new mothers; and find the association between the indices of social support, partner support and attention shifting with experience of postpartum depression., Methods: A cross-sectional hospital-based study design was used. The sample for this study included 240 postnatal mothers from Pune urban areas selected randomly from three hospitals who attended postnatal check-ups or immunizations in the city. Postpartum depression was assessed using Marathi validated Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS). Support from the respondents mother, mother-in law, husband, relatives was assessed for estimating Social Support Index. The husband's support was assessed for Partner Support Index; and shift of attention from mother to baby was for Attention Shift Index. Mothers who scored ≥13 on the EPDS scale were categorised as depressed. Reliability and validity of the scales and indices was checked using Chronbach's alpha. Univariate, bivariate, and logistic regression were used to determine the association of various indices with PPD., Results: Of the 240 mothers surveyed, 63 (26.3%) mothers scored ≥13 on EPDS and thus, were categorised as depressed. A strong statistical association was found between social support with postpartum depression (AOR:3.037; 95% CI:1.486-6.208) and unadjusted models (UOR: 2.269; 95% CI:1.056-4.87), partner support (AOR:4.979;95%CI:1.348-18.388) and attention shift from mother to baby with PPD (Both adjusted to AOR:2.618; 95%CI:1.441-4.858; and unadjusted UOR: 2.373; 95%CI:1.072-5.254). However, no significant association was found between socio-demographic variables and postpartum depression., Conclusion: Higher levels of postpartum depression in urban mothers affect the women and their children's health. Screening of expecting mothers for possible symptoms of depression during antenatal care could reduce the chances of depression during postpartum period. Considering its prevalence, depression should be addressed in national mental health programmes. More robust research is required for better understanding of the factors responsible for postpartum depression in urban India., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)