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Original Article

“I’ll look after the kids while you go and have a shower”: an evaluation of a service to address mild to moderate maternal perinatal mental health problems

, , , &
Pages 324-330 | Received 07 Jun 2018, Accepted 21 Nov 2018, Published online: 09 Apr 2019
 

Abstract

Background: Perinatal mental health (PMH) problems are a major public health concern because they may impair parenting ability which potentially has an immediate and long-term impact on the physical, cognitive and emotional health of the child.

Aims: We evaluated a Perinatal Support Service (PSS) which supports positive attachment between mothers with PMH problems and their child, to evidence its impact on maternal mental health and maternal-infant interaction.

Method: Using a mixed-methods approach, anonymised pre- and post-service outcomes data from 123 clients, 14 interviews and a focus group discussion were analysed.

Results: We found significant improvement in anxiety (t (55) = 6.96, p < 0.01, 95% CI [3.15, 5.70]), and depression (t (55) = 6.58, p < 0.01, 95% CI [3.03, 5.68]) on the HADS, and on the GAD-7 (t (12) = 4.541, p = 0.001, 95% CI [3.48, 9.90]) after the PSS. Anxiety post service (M = 9.08, SD = 4.96) was lower than baseline anxiety (M = 15.77, SD = 4.68). Receiving emotional and practical support contributed to improvements in mental health and mother–child interaction.

Conclusion: Given the paucity of PMH services in the UK, it is imperative that services such as the PSS continue to receive funding to address unmet PMH needs.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Big Lottery Fund awarded a grant to Family Action to deliver the Perinatal Support Service. Family Action then awarded our research team the bid to conduct the independent evaluation via open competition.

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