Maternal, Child Health and Neonatal Nursing Commons^™

Skin-To-Skin Contact At Birth For Very Preterm Infants And Symptoms Of Depression And Anxiety In Parents During The First Year – A Secondary Outcome Of A Randomized Clinical Trial, Siri Lilliesköld, Karoline Lode-Kolz, Björn Westrup, Nils Bergman, Kimmo Sorjonen, Ulrika Ådén, Evalotte Mörelius, Siren Rettedal, Wibke Jonas

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Mental health issues are common in parents to preterm infants. In the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), skin-to-skin contact (SSC) as an avenue for parent-infant closeness may improve parental mental health. Few studies exist regarding its benefits when initiated immediately postbirth. The aim was to determine the effect of SSC for very preterm infants at birth on parents' mental health, by assessing symptoms of depression and anxiety within the first year. Methods: The Immediate Parent-Infant Skin-to-Skin Study was a randomized clinical trial conducted 2018–2021 at three NICUs in Sweden and Norway. Very preterm infants (28–33 weeks of gestation) were …

Maternal Depression And Covid-19: A Secondary Analysis Comparing Postnatal Depression Rates During And Before The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amanda A. Berney

2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

The COVID-19 pandemic created increased psychological vulnerability across the globe through isolation, fear of infection, and misinformation from various sources, including social media. Women giving birth during the pandemic, therefore, may be extremely vulnerable psychologically. Per the World Health Organization, the years 2020 to mid 2021were designated as an intense time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the objective of this secondary analysis was to compare depression scores among women giving birth during these intense years and women giving birth before 2020. However, due to a small window of time and sample size, statistical analysis failed to find a correlation between …

The Impact Of A Educational Program On Depression And Anxiety For Low Socioeconomic Latina Postpartum Mothers, Lizbeth Valdez Duran

Nursing | Senior Theses

Postpartum depression (PPD) and anxiety are significant mental health challenges that affect many mothers, especially Latina women with low socioeconomic backgrounds. These mothers often face barriers to care, health literacy, and access to healthcare resources. The problem is compounded by a lack of culturally competent care, which can contribute to mistrust of healthcare providers and discourage Latina mothers from seeking help. The literature review articles highlight that health literacy plays a crucial role in managing mental health, with effective education potentially reducing negative outcomes by improving coping strategies and bringing awareness to symptoms that are associated with postpartum. This research …

Educational Program On Depression And Anxiety For Low Socioeconomic Postpartum Latina Mothers, Lizbeth Valdez Duran

Nursing | Student Research Posters

Postpartum depression (PPD) and postpartum anxiety are common mental health conditions that women experience after childbirth. PPD involves intense feelings of extreme sadness, and diminished interests in activities that once brought them happiness. Postpartum anxiety involves constant worry and fear, often centered on the well-being of the baby. Symptoms may include restlessness or irritability, panic attacks, and trouble concentrating or sleeping. Barriers to treating depression and anxiety among Latinas include a lack of awareness or understanding of mental health issues. (Lopez et al., 2018).

Health Literacy refers to the individual's ability to understand and process health-related information. By assessing a …

Domestic Violence And Mental Health In Pregnant Women, Arabella M. Co

Nursing | Student Research Posters

Background: Domestic violence can include verbal, emotional, and physical abuse, which can lead to long-term mental health disorders such as stress, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Purpose: This research includes a literature review, as well as a proposed research design to examine the significance of intimate partner violence in relation to mental health by implementing screening methods and interventions. Method: Participants will be recruited from prenatal clinics around the Bay Area. A quantitative, randomized, controlled-trial cohort study will investigate the effectiveness of the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Systems (PRAMS). A screening tool used in determining intimate partner violence within the …

Implementation Of The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Screening Tool For Postpartum Depression In A Midwest Primary Care Clinic, Makenzie Garrison

Dissertations

Problem: Postpartum depression is a prevalent health concern in postpartum women. Screening practices to identify postpartum depression are inconsistent. The purpose of this quality initiative is to determine if the implementation of the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Screening Tool (EPDS) to screen for postpartum depression in the primary care setting increases the detection of postpartum depression in postpartum women from delivery to one year postpartum.

Methods: This quality improvement project utilizes a descriptive, observational design. A retrospective medical record review was utilized as well as a 12-week data collection period. Retrospective medical record reviews were conducted to assess the rate of …

Educational Campaign: Using Exercise To Prevent Postpartum Depression, Ruth Platt

MSN Capstone Projects

Postpartum depression is one of the most common medical ailments surrounding childbirth. It affects up to 20% of postpartum women and has detrimental effects not only on the mother but her infant and family as well (Navas et al., 2021). Currently, the medical community takes a reactive approach to postpartum depression by screening and treating cases of postpartum depression as they occur. An evidence-based search of peer-reviewed articles found that exercise in the perinatal period had a positive effect on maternal mental health and decreased postpartum depression scores. This is especially true for women who have a history of depression …

Implementation Of A Postpartum Depression Screening Protocol, Samantha Abercrombie

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a major depressive disorder that can occur after having a baby and anytime during the first year postpartum (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2021). Symptoms of PPD may include anger, crying more than usual, withdrawing from family, inability to bond with the baby, feelings of anxiousness, or thoughts of the mother harming herself or the baby. PPD can yield many challenges and hinder daily living activities. Recent research by the CDC (2021) estimates that 1 in 8 women experience manifestations of PPD. Findings also suggest that 1 in 5 women were not …

Access To Prenatal Care And Mental Health In Pregnant Women During Covid-19: A Systematic Review, Chloe Feezel, Marin Kahoun, Kaija Kunttu

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

COVID-19 affected the world in many ways. Pregnant women were greatly impacted by a change in their access to prenatal care, from in-person care to telehealth methods, and social support being limited by social isolation. Compared with prevalence of anxiety and depression in pregnant women pre-COVID-19, pregnant women during COVID-19 reported higher levels of anxiety and depression symptoms due to the stress of circumstantial changes. The purpose of this systematic review is to review and critically appraise the evidence about access to prenatal care and mental health in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. The following PICOT formatted question will …

The Effect Of Postpartum Depression Screening Education For Postpartum Nurses, Shecarra S. Cook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Depression affects about 13% of pregnant women and about 10% of women after childbirth. Some cases are so severe, the mother may even commit suicide. If left untreated, postpartum depression (PPD) affects both the mother’s and the infant’s health as well as their quality of life. The gap in clinical practice is that currently, patients only complete a postpartum depression screening tool during their 6-week follow-up appointment with their OB/GYN, leaving a gap in PPD detection and care during the immediate postpartum period. Postpartum nurses are not usually given specialized training in postpartum depression. The purpose of this study was …

Stressful Life Events And Postpartum Depression, Madison E. Laurent

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Effect Of A Self-Care And Self-Awareness Education Program On Resilience To Burnout And Depression In Clinically Experienced Nursing Students, Andrew Taylor

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose was to examine the effect of a self-care educational intervention on nursing student resilience and thus the potential for compassion fatigue, depersonalization, burnout, depression, and inadequate self-care. A one-group pretest-posttest research design was applied to a convenience sample of 104 nursing students near the end of their last semester in a baccalaureate nursing program. The measurements were demographics, a psychometric resilience scale, program evaluation, and reflection question. The intervention was a standardized, intensive 30 min training program on the high degree of stress and burnout nurses face and the core self-care methods that can promote resilience to these …

Depression Screening In Antepartum Females, Michelle Burk

Dissertations

Problem: Perinatal mood disorders, including depression, affects one in five pregnant or postpartum females. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the US Preventative Task Force (USPTF) recommended screening for depression at least once during the antepartum and postpartum periods. The purpose of this quality improvement initiative was to introduce depression screening using the patient health questionnaire (PHQ) in antepartum women in a Midwestern private OB-GYN practice.

Methods: An observational, descriptive, cohort design utilizing a retrospective record review was used to evaluate for PHQ depression screening. A convenience sample of antepartum patients at/or around 36-weeks gestation was studied. …

Perinatal Mood And Anxiety Disorders, Stigma, And Social Support Among Postpartum Women, Ellen K. Fleischman

Dissertations

Purpose/Aims: The purpose of this descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study was to examine the relationships among perinatal mood and anxiety disorder (PMAD) symptomatology, select demographics, stigma of mental illness, and social support, among inpatient postpartum women. Rationale: PMADs affect as many as 21% of childbearing women, yet these disorders are identified and treated less than half the time. There is a gap in the literature regarding the relationships among stigma, social support, and PMADs in postpartum women.

Conceptual Basis/Background: Despite recommendations from professional organizations, screening for PMADs is not consistently completed using a valid, reliable instrument. Stigma contributes to the low …

Aligning With Patient-Centered Medical Home Standards: Depression Screening In Women's Health, Charity Galgani

Dissertations

Problem: The Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model of care improves health care quality and patient experience of care, and decreases costs. Depression screening is a requirement for becoming a PCMH. The purpose of this quality initiative was to obtain baseline data to describe depression screening rates among female adult patients receiving women’s health care within a Midwestern public health department seeking PCMH recognition.

Methods: The study utilized a descriptive, observational design and was guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework. A retrospective medical record review was used to assess the rate of depression screening utilizing the PHQ-2 and PHQ-9 tools, and …

The Effect Of A Mindfulness Intervention On The Depression Symptoms Of Mothers In Treatment For An Opioid Use Disorder, Karen Alexander

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Mothers in treatment for an opioid use disorder experience a high prevalence of depression which may influence their relationship with their child. In the general population, mindfulness-based parenting intervention has been seen in the literature to have a clear positive effect on maternal depression. No research has been published regarding the effect of mindfulness intervention on maternal depression of women in treatment for an opioid use disorder.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics of mothers in treatment for opioid use disorder, including depression and adverse childhood experiences, and to evaluate the characteristics associated with participation in a mindfulness intervention. Lastly, …

Maternal Life Course Adversity: The Intersection Of Psychosocial And Biobehavioral Adaptive Response In Pregnancy, Crystal Modde Epstein

Theses & Dissertations

The link between life course adversity and adverse health outcomes is well established, particularly early life adversity (ELA). There is also evidence that the physiologic adaptations associated with stress, depression and ELA can be transmitted intergenerationally via long-term set-point changes within the maternal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA). It is unknown how the type and timing of maternal stress and adversity influences HPA regulation during pregnancy and whether maternal coping attenuates this relationship. Manuscript 1 was an integrative review of studies examining the association between maternal ELA and HPA regulation during pregnancy. In manuscripts 2 and 3 the findings of the dissertation …

Parents Of Children Who Had Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Mixed-Methods, Exploratory Study, Natalene Kramer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: There is scant literature addressing the parents of children who had hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). therefore only inferences may be made as to issues of that experience affecting parents.

Purpose: The purposes of this study was to uncover the lived experiences of parents of children who had HIE, evaluate issues of stress, depression, coping, and impact of neurologic disability in order to better care for them and thus their families

Methods: A parallel, convergent mixed-methods design was used to explore experiences and perceptions of these parents regarding their experiences and life changes. The quantitative strand addressed four research questions which …

An Examination Into The Relationship Between Iron Deficiency And Postpartum Depression, Sara A. Burroughs

Senior Honors Theses

Postpartum depression is recognized as the most common complication of childbearing; however, its etiology remains fairly undetermined. Many different influences have been hypothesized as to what may cause postpartum depression, including changes in levels of various hormones (such as estrogen and progesterone), a decrease in serotonin, low levels of vitamin D, social factors, and iron deficiency. The lack of strong evidence for one specific cause makes it fairly clear that there are many factors that play a role in the development of postpartum depression. Iron deficiency is one issue that is thought to contribute to the development of postpartum depression …

Risk Factors In Women For Postpartum Depression Versus Postpartum Psychosis: An Integrative Literature Review, Briana Jamieson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this literature review was to identify differentiating risk factors in women for postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. By understanding differentiating risk factors health care professionals, and nurses in particular, can be alert to women who are at higher risk for postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis. This information allows for early nursing intervention and the development of appropriate treatment plans. Fifteen peer-reviewed, English language research articles published between 2000 and 2015 were analyzed for the purpose of this literature review. Study results were inconclusive for the intention of this review, but do provide valuable information on independent risk …

Evaluation Of The Care Program At Goodall Hospital’S Center For Women’S Health, Nicole Hutzler, Lindsey Stockwell

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

The purpose of this descriptive study is to gain a better understanding of the characteristics that can affect depression and overall compliance in prenatal care. Researchers anticipate that women’s involvement in the CARE Program will lead to a decrease in depression scores measured between the first and second trimester. The continued assessment and support provided by the CARE Coordinator is also expected to lead to fewer untreated cases of perinatal and postpartum depression.

Postpartum Depression And Help‐Seeking Behaviors In Immigrant Hispanic Women, Lynn Clark Callister, Renea Beckstrand, Cheryl A. Corbett

Faculty Publications

Objectives: To describe perceptions of immigrant Hispanic women experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD) and to identify barriers to seeking mental health services.

Design: Qualitative descriptive.

Setting: Community health clinic.

Participants: Twenty immigrant Hispanic women scoring positive for symptoms of PPD receiving health care at a community health clinic who declined mental health services participated in audiotaped interviews held in their homes.

Methods: Following Institutional Review Board approval and informed consent, interviews were conducted with study participants. Transcribed data were analyzed as appropriate for qualitative inquiry.

Results: Some of the women did not recognize and/or denied their symptoms attributing their …

Predictors Of Elevated Depressive Symptoms In Pregnancy, Justine M. Kokoszka

Honors Scholar Theses

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine factors that may place women at risk for developing depressive symptoms during pregnancy. It was part of a larger, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial investigating the impact of docosahexaenoic acid

(DHA) in pregnancy as it relates to postpartum depression. Participants were women with a confirmed pregnancy(N= 45) who were administered the CES-D at two different times, 20-22 weeks gestation and 30-32 weeks gestation. Factors from a self-report of personal history were included in an analysis with the CES-D scores. A significant positive correlation was found between the first CES-D scores and body …

Screening For Postpartum Depression At Well-Baby Visits, Suzanne Mello

Master's Projects

Objective: To assess the prevalence of postpartum depression among mothers who attend first-year well-baby visits. Methods: A convenience sample of 33 women was screened during first year well-baby visits using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) at three pediatric offices in Northern California. Measures included demographic data, history of depression, tobacco use, strength of support system, breast/bottle feeding, and child's health. EPDS scores were collected to calculate the prevalence of postpartum depression. Results: The EPDS was administered to 33 women at first year well-baby visits. Thirty-two were completed. Sixty-six percent of women had scores < 10 indicating no depression. Thirty-four percent reported scores of>=l 0 during the postpartum year …