The influence of the COVID-19 lockdown on infants' physiological regulation during mother-father-infant interactions in Switzerland.

In this study, we investigated the physiological regulation of vagal tone during dyadic and triadic parent-infant interactions in infants born before or around the COVID-19 lockdown in Switzerland. We hypothesized that there would be a decrease in vagal tone in triadic interactions compared with dyadic interactions, as triadic interactions are more complex and therefore more resource demanding. However, we expected this difference to be smaller for infants who experienced the period of confinement, as the lockdown led parents to spend more time at home. We also hypothesized that parents would have less stressful interactional events in the triadic interaction because they would be used to interacting with the child together. This study included 36 parents with their 3 month-old infants. Eighteen families met the study authors before the onset of the pandemic (pre-COVID) and 18 met them after its onset, having experienced a period of confinement during the infants' first 3 months of life (COVID). Results showed that the COVID group had no decrease in vagal tone during triadic interactions, whereas the pre-COVID group did. This difference could not, however, be explained by less stressful interactional events in triadic interactions, as the COVID group showed more stressful interactional events in mother-father-infant interactions

Women's experiences of postnatal distress: a qualitative study

Women can experience a range of psychological problems after birth, including anxiety, depression and adjustment disorders. However, research has predominantly focused on depression. Qualitative work on women's experiences of postnatal mental health problems has sampled women within particular diagnostic categories so not looked at the range of potential psychological problems. The aims of this study were to explore how women experienced and made sense of the range of emotional distress states in the first postnatal year

Relationship between perceived perinatal stress and depressive symptoms, anxiety, and parental self-efficacy in primiparous mothers and the role of social support

The aim of the authors in this study was to evaluate the relationships between perceived perinatal stress and social support to psychological health outcomes in mothers. A longitudinal, quantitative study was conducted in Geneva, Switzerland on 235 primiparous mothers from September 2010 to January 2012. Data were collected between gestational weeks 37 and 41 (T1), 2 days post-delivery (T2), and at 6 weeks postpartum (T3). Perinatal stress was associated with depressive symptoms (R(2) = 0.223), anxiety (R(2) = 0.242), and a low sense of parental self-efficacy (R(2) = 0.21). However, satisfaction with social support moderated the relationship of stress to the health of mothers. In particular, the authors noted that the more women were provided with support from their partners, the less depressive symptoms and elevated levels of anxiety they reported, even under stressful conditions, while the satisfaction of support from their mothers boosted their sense of competency. Furthermore, satisfaction with emotional support from professionals tempered the stress during the post-partum period (∆R(2) = 0.032; p < .05). The results revealed that perinatal stress was related to the psychological health of mothers, but social support may modulate these effects. A number of approaches could be implemented to manage this stress

Validation of the post-delivery perceived stress inventory

This article presents the post-delivery perceived stress inventory (PDPSI) and its psychometric properties. This inventory is unique in that it links the measurement of perceived stress to events experienced during and after delivery. A total of 235 French-speaking, primiparous mothers completed the PDPSI two days after their delivery. To evaluate the predictive validity of the PDPSI on anxiety and depression, participants also completed the EPDS and the STAI two days and six weeks postpartum. The exploratory analysis revealed a 16-item structure divided into five factors: F1: relationship with the child; F2: delivery; F3: fatigue after delivery; F4: breastfeeding; and F5: relationship with the caregivers. The PDPSI demonstrated good internal consistency. Moreover, confirmatory factor analysis produced excellent indices, indicating that the complexity of the PDPSI was taken into account and its fit to the sample. The discriminant analysis showed that the PDPSI was not sensitive to specific changes in the sample making the inventory generalizable to other populations. Predictive validity showed that the scale significantly predicted depression and anxiety in the early postpartum period as well as anxiety six weeks postpartum. Overall, the PDPSI showed excellent psychometric qualities, making it a useful tool for future research-evaluating interventions related to perceived stress during the postpartum period