TY - JOUR
T1 - Women's Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Interconception Period
AU - Leiferman, Jenn A.
AU - Jewell, Jennifer S.
AU - Huberty, Jennifer L.
AU - Lee-Winn, Angela E.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Purpose:Promoting women's health during the interconception period is critical for the health of future pregnancies.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study to better understand interconception mental health and wellbeing using a convenience sample of women recruited on social media who completed an online survey.Results:Women who participated in the survey (N = 146) were 1 to 4 years since last pregnancy, primarily non-Hispanic White (81.2%), with an average age of 30 years (SD = 5.0; range = 19-47 years); 20% were insured by Medicaid. Depression, anxiety, stress, social support, mindfulness, and resilience were assessed. Approximately 22.9% reported depressive symptomatology, 18.8% symptoms of anxiety, 6.5% high stress, and 52.9% moderate stress. These patterns differed across years after giving birth, with percentages peaking for depressive symptoms during the first to second year (χ2 = 9.81, p = 0.007), and anxiety symptoms peaking after the third year (χ2 = 7.28, p = 0.026). Women reported moderate scores on wellbeing measures, with resilience scores decreasing as years since last pregnancy increased (F = 3.24, p = 0.042). Less than 25% reported that a provider discussed depressed mood during the interconception period.Clinical Implications:Our findings revealed high prevalence and temporal patterns of depressive and anxiety symptoms during the interconception period, identifying a need for nurses to continue to follow-up with their patients about mental health concerns well after the traditionally defined 1 year postpartum. Further investigation of women's mental health and wellbeing and their unique needs during the interconception period is warranted.
AB - Purpose:Promoting women's health during the interconception period is critical for the health of future pregnancies.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study to better understand interconception mental health and wellbeing using a convenience sample of women recruited on social media who completed an online survey.Results:Women who participated in the survey (N = 146) were 1 to 4 years since last pregnancy, primarily non-Hispanic White (81.2%), with an average age of 30 years (SD = 5.0; range = 19-47 years); 20% were insured by Medicaid. Depression, anxiety, stress, social support, mindfulness, and resilience were assessed. Approximately 22.9% reported depressive symptomatology, 18.8% symptoms of anxiety, 6.5% high stress, and 52.9% moderate stress. These patterns differed across years after giving birth, with percentages peaking for depressive symptoms during the first to second year (χ2 = 9.81, p = 0.007), and anxiety symptoms peaking after the third year (χ2 = 7.28, p = 0.026). Women reported moderate scores on wellbeing measures, with resilience scores decreasing as years since last pregnancy increased (F = 3.24, p = 0.042). Less than 25% reported that a provider discussed depressed mood during the interconception period.Clinical Implications:Our findings revealed high prevalence and temporal patterns of depressive and anxiety symptoms during the interconception period, identifying a need for nurses to continue to follow-up with their patients about mental health concerns well after the traditionally defined 1 year postpartum. Further investigation of women's mental health and wellbeing and their unique needs during the interconception period is warranted.
KW - Anxiety
KW - Depression
KW - Mental health
KW - Pregnancy
KW - Stress
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U2 - 10.1097/NMC.0000000000000767
DO - 10.1097/NMC.0000000000000767
M3 - Article
C2 - 34653032
AN - SCOPUS:85119089666
SN - 0361-929X
VL - 46
SP - 339
EP - 345
JO - MCN The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing
JF - MCN The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing
IS - 6
ER -