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Background: Research suggests that prenatal depression is associated with disrupted maternal responses to infant stimuli, with depressed women not showing the bias towards distressed infants observed in non depressed women (Pearson, 2010). The current study examined depression related differences in women’s self reported responses to infant stimuli, early in pregnancy, investigating if maternal responses in pregnancy are more associated with a reduced comforting response, or a heightened avoidant response. Method: Women in this study were referred by community midwives as part of a cohort study. Pregnant women with clinical depression (n=38), and comparison non-depressed women (n=67), were exposed to images of distressed, neutral and happy infant faces. The women were asked to rate how they responded to the images, along three scales: wanting to comfort, wanting to turn away, and feelings of anxiety. Results: Women with depression showed significantly different response patterns to women without depression. Women with depression were substantially more likely to be in the highest quartile for ratings of wanting to turn away from distressed infant faces (odds ratio 4.15, p<.01, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 1.63-10.5). They were also substantially less likely to be in the highest quartile for wanting to comfort a distressed infant face (odds ratio .22, p<.01, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = .09-.54). Conclusions: The findings from this study are consistent with both a heightened avoidant and a reduced comforting response towards distressed infants in depressed pregnant women. This study provides further evidence that depression disrupts maternal preparations at a conscious level. Keyword: Depression; Maternal Responsiveness; Self Report; Pregnancy; Prenatal; Perinatal.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D Phil (Psychotherapy))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

Background: Pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality and a major contributor to preterm birth and neonatal mortality. Literature suggests that several modifiable psychosocial and health behavioral factors may play significant roles in the development of PIH. However, interrelationships among these factors and their collective impact on PIH are not well understood. Objectives: This study aims to: 1) Examine the relationship between pre-pregnancy physical activity and risk of PIH, 2) Determine the association between prepregnancy depression and PIH and the role of race/ethnicity in this association, 3) Evaluate the association between intimate partner violence (IPV) in women before and/or during pregnancy and PIH, and the role of utilization of prenatal care (PNC) as a mediator in this association. Methods: This study utilized the national Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System survey data (years 2009-2015). The outcome variable PIH was defined as a dichotomized variable (Yes; No) utilizing a birth certificate variable data. Domain-adjusted multiple logistic regression, multiple logistic regression with stratification, and structural equation modeling analyses were used to investigate the study aims. Results: No significant reduced risk of PIH was observed in women who were physically active prior to pregnancy compared to sedentary women. However, women with prepregnancy depression were more likely to have PIH compared to women without prepregnancy depression and this association was significant for non-Hispanic White women when stratified by race/ethnicity. Further, PNC utilization was a significant mediator in the association between IPV before and/or during pregnancy and PIH. However, IPV had no direct or total effect on PIH in this study. Conclusions: Public health professionals and health care providers should be aware of the relationships between prepregnancy depression, race/ethnicity, IPV, and prenatal care utilization, and PIH, and utilize the information in risk profiling, screening, early detection and intervention in women at risk of PIH.