Newsletter #9, Winter 2015 Postpartum Well-Being Study In this Issue… Postpartum Well-Being Research Effects of Yoga on Perinatal Well-Being Abbie Goldberg Project Director, US Postpartum Well-Being in the News [email protected] Bisexuality in the News Lori Ross, How to Foster Child Development Project Director, Canada [email protected] Winter Activities and Day Trips Overview of the Postpartum Well Being Study What is the Postpartum We are so grateful to you for your Well-Being Study? participation in this research! We are now in the final phases of data col- This is a National Institute of Mental lection. We hope to meet with you Health (NIMH)-funded study that and present our findings when we explores postpartum well-being are further along. We truly appreciate among women with diverse sexual your involvement. histories and sexual orientations. This study is a multisite study and it Project Director, US, Abbie Goldberg, is being conducted by Dr. Abbie [email protected] Goldberg at Clark University, in col- Project Director, Canada, Lori Ross, laboration with Dr. Lori Ross at the [email protected] University of Toronto and Center for Addiction and Mental Health Research Coordinator, Canada, Corey Flanders, (CAMH). [email protected] This is ground-breaking research that may assist health professionals to help future new mothers. All infor- mation is kept confidential. We are so grateful to you for your participation in this research! We truly appreciate your involvement. Newsletter #9, Winter 2015 Postpartum Well-Being Study Postpartum Well-Being Research Postpartum Well-Being Research (from the National Council on Family Relations Confer- Sexual minority women generally, whether visible or invis- ence, 2015) ible, were marginally more likely than heterosexual wom- en to report pregnancy complications (e.g., gestational Social Support, Sexual Identity, and Men- diabetes, preeclampsia, bleeding). In terms of psychologi- tal Health During the Prenatal Period cal well-being, invisible sexual minority women reported Among Invisible Sexual Minority Women significantly higher levels of depression symptoms than the other groups. We presented data from the Postpartum Well-being study at the National Council on Family Relations con- Invisible sexual minority women also reported significantly ference this November! This presentation focused on lower levels of outness than visible sexual minority wom- reproductive history and well-being in sexual minority en. That is, invisible sexual minority women were less out women partnered with men during the prenatal period. about their sexual history and sexual orientation. Medical schools and OB/GYN programs tend to give These findings underscore the importance in studying sexual minority health issues little attention. This can be sexual minority women partnered with men, in particular problematic because health care professionals who because they are likely to be a substantial proportion of interact with sexual minority women during the peri- the sexual minority women seen in clinical practice, and natal period often have very little understanding of they are likely at higher risk for both mental health and sexual minority women’s unique health care con- pregnancy-related outcomes. The invisible sexual minori- cerns, and may assume that women are heterosexu- ty women included in this sample reported higher al and monogamous even when that is not the case. levels of pregnancy-related problems, fertility prob- Prior studies have found that women who have been lems, and miscarriages. More information is needed sexually involved with both women and men tend to about the potential pathways leading invisible sexual mi- have fewer medical consultations, including fewer gyne- nority women to report reproductive complications and cological follow-ups, than women who have been sex- depression symptoms. Moving forward, these results indi- ually involved only with men or only with women. This cate the importance of health care providers routinely may be due to assumptions of heterosexuality and ex- collecting sexual identity and sexual history data in order periences of biphobia. to best meet the needs of their patients. The current study compares questionnaire respons- es of 29 heterosexual women, 28 invisible sexual minority women (women who are partnered with men, and who have had sexual experiences with a woman in the past five years or identify as non- heterosexual), and 19 visible sexual minority women (who are currently partnered with women). The women were recruited from Toronto, Canada and cen- tral/western Massachusetts. In terms of sexual orientation self-labeling, results show that 74% of invisible sexual minority women identify as bisexual, 7% as queer, and 19% as heterosexual. Of the visible sexual minority women, 77% identify as lesbi- an and 23% as queer. Additionally, invisible sexual mi- nority women were the most likely to report multiple partners during the past five years. Most women in all three groups were first time parents, and most women planned their pregnancies. Invisible sexual minority women were marginally more likely to report fertility problems and reported a somewhat higher number of miscarriages than the other groups. Newsletter #9, Winter 2015 Postpartum Well-Being Study Postpartum Well-Being Research Postpartum Well-Being Research (from Journal of Affective Disorders, 2016) (from Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 2016) Prevalence and Course of Anxiety Disor- ders (and Symptom Levels) in Men Across Primary Care Physicians’ Attitudes Toward the Perinatal Period Postpartum Depression: Is It Part of Their Job? Men’s experiences of anxiety during the perinatal period can negatively impact themselves, their partner, and Because postpartum mental their infant. However, little is known about the preva- health is important for the well- lence and course of men’s anxiety in the perinatal being of the mother, infant, and period. This paper is one of the first to systematical- family as a whole, it is im- ly review the published literature on men’s anxiety dur- portant that women who experi- ing the perinatal period. ence postpartum depression (PPD) are identified and offered This review examined 43 papers with data on anxiety treatment. However, many pri- disorder prevalence and symptom levels in men during mary care providers do not the prenatal or postpartum period. Results showed that take steps to identify or treat prevalence rates for ’high anxiety’ (indicating a PPD. probable anxiety disorder) ranged between 4.1% and 16.0% during the prenatal period and 2.4% to 18.0% This study surveyed primary during the postnatal period. The variation in these care physicians in Israel about their attitudes regarding estimates is due in part to the differences in the methods postpartum depression. In total, 122 pediatricians and used to assess anxiety, the time-period over which diag- 102 family practitioners responded to the survey. noses were made, and the specific characteristics of the sample interviewed. Almost all (98.0%) of the physicians surveyed be- lieved it was important that they be able to recognize Some of the papers assessed the prevalence of specific the signs of PPD. Most (89.8%) noted that if they sus- anxiety disorders, such as Generalized Anxiety Disor- pected a woman had PPD, they would become some- der, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Panic Disor- what involved, by clarifying the situation, paying closer der, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Preva- attention, consulting with colleagues, and/or referring the lence rates for generalized anxiety were 4.3% in the woman to another professional. Six respondents—only prenatal period and 0% to 12.2% in the postnatal family practitioners—stated that they would treat the case period. Panic Disorder was less common: 0.9% in themselves. When asked if they would be willing to the prenatal period and 0% to 1.05% postpartum. OCD screen for PPD with a brief questionnaire, family estimates were 3.4% in the prenatal period and 1.8% practitioners were significantly more willing to do so postpartum. PTSD estimates were 2.7% in the prenatal than were pediatricians. Ninety-one percent of family period and 0% to 5% postpartum. practitioners were willing to screen for PPD, compared to 64.6% of pediatricians. There were no differences be- The course of anxiety across the perinatal period ap- tween physicians’ attitudes by region or by physician gen- peared fairly stable, with potential decreases postpar- der. tum. None of the studies showed significant increases in men’s anxiety in the postpartum period compared to the There is a clear difference between recognizing the prenatal period. signs of PPD and acting on it. Family practitioners were more willing to screen for and treat PPD than were The findings show that anxiety disorders are common pediatricians. Nevertheless, screening in pediatric facili- for men during the perinatal period. Therefore, both part- ties is important to reach more women in distress. Medi- ners should be included in discussions and inter- cal education and health policy for family practitioners ventions focused on obstetric care and parent men- and pediatricians should emphasize the importance of tal health during the perinatal and postpartum peri- early identification and treatment of PPD for the well- od. being of women and families. Click HERE to access the abstract, and also you can Click HERE to access the abstract, and also you can email us for a full copy of