Improving Maternal Mental Health Following Preterm Birth Using an Expressive Writing Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Overview

Journal Child Psychiatry Hum Dev

Specialties Pediatrics
Psychiatry

Date 2015 Dec 15

PMID 26659113

Citations 24

Authors

Antje Horsch

Jean-Francois Tolsa

Leah Gilbert

Lauranne Jan du Chene

Carole Muller-Nix

Myriam Bickle Graz

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Evaluations of evidence-based, easily accessible, psychological interventions to improve maternal mental health following very preterm birth are scarce. This study investigated the efficacy and acceptability of the expressive writing paradigm for mothers of very preterm infants. The level of maternal posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms was the primary outcome. Participants were 67 mothers of very preterm babies who were randomly allocated into the intervention (expressive writing; n = 33) or control group (treatment-as-usual; n = 32) when their infant was aged 3 months (corrected age, CA). Measurements were taken at 3 months (pre-intervention), 4 months (post-intervention), and 6 months CA (follow-up). Results showed reduced maternal posttraumatic stress (d = 0.42), depressive symptoms (d = 0.67), and an improved mental health status (d = 1.20) in the intervention group, which were maintained at follow-up. Expressive writing is a brief, cost-effective, and acceptable therapeutic approach that could be offered as part of the NICU care.

Citing Articles

Joint observation in NICU (JOIN): A randomized controlled trial testing an early, one-session intervention during preterm care to improve perceived maternal self-efficacy and other mental health outcomes.

Schneider J, Harari M, Faure N, Lacroix A, Borghini A, Tolsa J PLoS One. 2024; 19(4):e0301594.

PMID: 38662661 PMC: 11045081. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301594.

Psycho-emotional intervention with parents of very preterm babies during the first year: A single-arm pilot study.

Padilla-Munoz E, Barbancho-Morant M, Lanzarote-Fernandez M, Sanduvete-Chaves S, Chacon-Moscoso S Fam Process. 2024; 63(4):1826-1850.

PMID: 38659149 PMC: 11659114. DOI: 10.1111/famp.13002.

Preventing posttraumatic stress disorder following childbirth: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Dekel S, Papadakis J, Quagliarini B, Pham C, Pacheco-Barrios K, Hughes F Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2023; 230(6):610-641.e14.

PMID: 38122842 PMC: 11168224. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.12.013.

A Systematic Review of Interventions for Prevention and Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Following Childbirth.

Dekel S, Papadakis J, Quagliarini B, Jagodnik K, Nandru R medRxiv. 2023; .

PMID: 37693410 PMC: 10485880. DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.17.23294230.

Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in parents of preterm newborns: A systematic review of interventions and prevention strategies.

Laccetta G, Di Chiara M, De Nardo M, Terrin G Front Psychiatry. 2023; 14:998995.

PMID: 36970259 PMC: 10032332. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.998995.

References

Udry-Jorgensen L, Pierrehumbert B, Borghini A, Habersaat S, Forcada-Guex M, Ansermet F . Quality of attachment, perinatal risk, and mother-infant interaction in a high-risk premature sample. Infant Ment Health J. 2017; 32(3):305-318. DOI: 10.1002/imhj.20298. View

Jotzo M, Poets C . Helping parents cope with the trauma of premature birth: an evaluation of a trauma-preventive psychological intervention. Pediatrics. 2005; 115(4):915-9. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2004-0370. View

Guedeney N, Fermanian J . Validation study of the French version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS): new results about use and psychometric properties. Eur Psychiatry. 2009; 13(2):83-9. DOI: 10.1016/S0924-9338(98)80023-0. View

Blencowe H, Cousens S, Chou D, Oestergaard M, Say L, Moller A . Born too soon: the global epidemiology of 15 million preterm births. Reprod Health. 2014; 10 Suppl 1:S2. PMC: 3828585. DOI: 10.1186/1742-4755-10-S1-S2. View

DeMier R, Hynan M, Harris H, Manniello R . Perinatal stressors as predictors of symptoms of posttraumatic stress in mothers of infants at high risk. J Perinatol. 1996; 16(4):276-80. View

Bernard R, Williams S, Storfer-Isser A, Rhine W, Horwitz S, Koopman C . Brief cognitive-behavioral intervention for maternal depression and trauma in the neonatal intensive care unit: a pilot study. J Trauma Stress. 2011; 24(2):230-4. DOI: 10.1002/jts.20626. View

Doering L, Moser D, Dracup K . Correlates of anxiety, hostility, depression, and psychosocial adjustment in parents of NICU infants. Neonatal Netw. 2002; 19(5):15-23. DOI: 10.1891/0730-0832.19.5.15. View

Frisina P, Borod J, Lepore S . A meta-analysis of the effects of written emotional disclosure on the health outcomes of clinical populations. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2004; 192(9):629-34. DOI: 10.1097/01.nmd.0000138317.30764.63. View

Benzies K, Magill-Evans J, Hayden K, Ballantyne M . Key components of early intervention programs for preterm infants and their parents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2013; 13 Suppl 1:S10. PMC: 3561170. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2393-13-S1-S10. View

10.

Forcada-Guex M, Pierrehumbert B, Borghini A, Moessinger A, Muller-Nix C . Early dyadic patterns of mother-infant interactions and outcomes of prematurity at 18 months. Pediatrics. 2006; 118(1):e107-14. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2005-1145. View

11.

Macnab A, Beckett L, Park C, Sheckter L . Journal writing as a social support strategy for parents of premature infants: a pilot study. Patient Educ Couns. 1998; 33(2):149-59. DOI: 10.1016/s0738-3991(97)00075-x. View

12.

Doyle L, Anderson P, Haslam R, Lee K, Crowther C . School-age outcomes of very preterm infants after antenatal treatment with magnesium sulfate vs placebo. JAMA. 2014; 312(11):1105-13. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2014.11189. View

13.

Shaw R, St John N, Lilo E, Jo B, Benitz W, Stevenson D . Prevention of traumatic stress in mothers with preterm infants: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatrics. 2013; 132(4):e886-94. PMC: 3784295. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2013-1331. View

14.

Younger J, Kendell M, Pickler R . Mastery of stress in mothers of preterm infants. J Soc Pediatr Nurs. 1997; 2(1):29-35. DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-6155.1997.tb00197.x. View

15.

Lindsay J, Roman L, DeWys M, Eager M, Levick J, Quinn M . Creative caring in the NICU: parent-to-parent support. Neonatal Netw. 1993; 12(4):37-44. View

16.

Brecht C, Shaw R, Horwitz S, John N . Effectiveness of therapeutic behavioral interventions for parents of low birth weight premature infants: A review. Infant Ment Health J. 2014; 33(6):651-665. PMC: 3925006. DOI: 10.1002/imhj.21349. View

17.

Bener A . Psychological distress among postpartum mothers of preterm infants and associated factors: a neglected public health problem. Braz J Psychiatry. 2013; 35(3):231-6. DOI: 10.1590/1516-4446-2012-0821. View

18.

Borghini A, Pierrehumbert B, Miljkovitch R, Muller-Nix C, Forcada-Guex M, Ansermet F . Mother's attachment representations of their premature infant at 6 and 18 months after birth. Infant Ment Health J. 2017; 27(5):494-508. DOI: 10.1002/imhj.20103. View

19.

Pennebaker J, Beall S . Confronting a traumatic event: toward an understanding of inhibition and disease. J Abnorm Psychol. 1986; 95(3):274-81. DOI: 10.1037//0021-843x.95.3.274. View

20.

Moher D, Schulz K, Altman D . The CONSORT statement: revised recommendations for improving the quality of reports of parallel group randomized trials. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2001; 1:2. PMC: 32201. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2288-1-2. View