Climate Change is an Emerging Threat to Perinatal Mental Health

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Abstract

Objective:

In this discussion, we build the case for why climate change is an emerging threat to perinatal mental health.

Method:

A search of current literature on perinatal and maternal mental health and extreme weather events was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE and Web of Science databases. Only articles focusing on maternal mental health were included in this narrative review.

Results:

The perinatal period represents a potentially challenging timeframe for women for several reasons. Necessary role adjustments (reprioritization), changes in one’s ability to access pre-birth levels (and types) of social support, fluctuating hormones, changes in body shape, and possible complications during pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum are just a few of the factors that can impact perinatal mental health. Trauma is also a risk factor for negative mood symptoms and can be experienced as the result of many different types of events, including exposure to extreme weather/natural disasters.

Conclusion:

While the concepts of “eco-anxiety,” “climate despair,” and “climate anxiety” have garnered attention in the mainstream media, there is little to no discussion of how the climate crisis impacts maternal mental health. This is an important omission as the mother’s mental health impacts the family unit as a whole.

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Most cited references 51

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Onset timing, thoughts of self-harm, and diagnoses in postpartum women with screen-positive depression findings.

Katherine L Wisner, Dorothy Sit, Mary McShea … (2013)

The period prevalence of depression among women is 21.9% during the first postpartum year; however, questions remain about the value of screening for depression. To screen for depression in postpartum women and evaluate positive screen findings to determine the timing of episode onset, rate and intensity of self-harm ideation, and primary and secondary DSM-IV disorders to inform treatment and policy decisions. Sequential case series of women who recently gave birth. Urban academic women's hospital. During the maternity hospitalization, women were offered screening at 4 to 6 weeks post partum by telephone. Screen-positive women were invited to undergo psychiatric evaluations in their homes. A positive screen finding was an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score of 10 or higher. Self-harm ideation was assessed on EPDS item 10: "The thought of harming myself has occurred to me" (yes, quite often; sometimes; hardly ever; never). Screen-positive women underwent evaluation with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV for Axis I primary and secondary diagnoses. Ten thousand mothers underwent screening, with positive findings in 1396 (14.0%); of these, 826 (59.2%) completed the home visits and 147 (10.5%) completed a telephone diagnostic interview. Screen-positive women were more likely to be younger, African American, publicly insured, single, and less well educated. More episodes began post partum (40.1%), followed by during pregnancy (33.4%) and before pregnancy (26.5%). In this population, 19.3% had self-harm ideation. All mothers with the highest intensity of self-harm ideation were identified with the EPDS score of 10 or higher. The most common primary diagnoses were unipolar depressive disorders (68.5%), and almost two-thirds had comorbid anxiety disorders. A striking 22.6% had bipolar disorders. The most common diagnosis in screen-positive women was major depressive disorder with comorbid generalized anxiety disorder. Strategies to differentiate women with bipolar from unipolar disorders are needed. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00282776.

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Air Pollution and Non-Communicable Diseases: A review by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies’ Environmental Committee. Part 2: Air pollution and organ systems

Dean Schraufnagel, John R. Balmes, Clayton T Cowl … (2018)

Although air pollution is well known to be harmful to the lung and airways, it can also damage most other organ systems of the body. It is estimated that about 500,000 lung cancer deaths and 1.6 million COPD deaths can be attributed to air pollution, but air pollution may also account for 19% of all cardiovascular deaths and 21% of all stroke deaths. Air pollution has been linked to other malignancies, such as bladder cancer and childhood leukemia. Lung development in childhood is stymied with exposure to air pollutants, and poor lung development in children predicts lung impairment in adults. Air pollution is associated with reduced cognitive function and increased risk of dementia. Particulate matter in the air (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 μm) is associated with delayed psychomotor development and lower child intelligence. Studies link air pollution with diabetes mellitus prevalence, morbidity, and mortality. Pollution affects the immune system and is associated with allergic rhinitis, allergic sensitization, and autoimmunity. It is also associated with osteoporosis and bone fractures, conjunctivitis, dry eye disease, blepharitis, inflammatory bowel disease, increased intravascular coagulation, and decreased glomerular filtration rate. Atopic and urticarial skin disease, acne, and skin aging are linked to air pollution. Air pollution is controllable and, therefore, many of these adverse health effects can be prevented.

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Biological and psychosocial predictors of postpartum depression: systematic review and call for integration.

Ilona Yim, Lynlee Tanner Stapleton, Christine Guardino … (2015)

Postpartum depression (PPD) adversely affects the health and well being of many new mothers, their infants, and their families. A comprehensive understanding of biopsychosocial precursors to PPD is needed to solidify the current evidence base for best practices in translation. We conducted a systematic review of research published from 2000 through 2013 on biological and psychosocial factors associated with PPD and postpartum depressive symptoms. Two hundred fourteen publications based on 199 investigations of 151,651 women in the first postpartum year met inclusion criteria. The biological and psychosocial literatures are largely distinct, and few studies provide integrative analyses. The strongest PPD risk predictors among biological processes are hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal dysregulation, inflammatory processes, and genetic vulnerabilities. Among psychosocial factors, the strongest predictors are severe life events, some forms of chronic strain, relationship quality, and support from partner and mother. Fully integrated biopsychosocial investigations with large samples are needed to advance our knowledge of PPD etiology.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc

Journal ID (publisher-id): JAP

Journal ID (hwp): spjap

Title: Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association

Publisher: SAGE Publications (Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA )

ISSN (Print): 1078-3903

ISSN (Electronic): 1532-5725

Publication date (Electronic): 8 December 2022

Publication date Collection: May-Jun 2024

Volume: 30

Issue: 3

Pages: 683-689

Affiliations

[1 ]Jennifer L. Barkin, PhD, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, GA, USA

[2 ]Rebecca P. Philipsborn, MD, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

[3 ]Carolann L. Curry, MLIS, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, GA, USA

[4 ]Saswati Upadhyay, MBBS, MPH, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA

[5 ]Pamela A. Geller, PhD, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

[6 ]Pamela A. Geller, PhD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

[7 ]Madelyn Pardon, PhD, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia

[8 ]James Dimmock, Telethon Kids Institute, Western Australia, Australia

[9 ]James Dimmock, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia

[10 ]Christy C. Bridges, PhD, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, GA, USA

[11 ]Christina A. Sikes, RN, BSN, North Central Health District, Macon, GA, USA

[12 ]Anthony J. Kondracki, MD, PhD, Mercer University School of Medicine Savannah, Savannah, GA, USA

[13 ]Massimiliano Buoli, MD, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy

Author notes

[*]Jennifer L. Barkin, Departments of Community Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, GA 31207, USA. Email: barkin_jl@ 123456mercer.edu

Author information

Jennifer L. Barkin https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8364-4260

Saswati Upadhyay https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2152-3997

Madelyn Pardon https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5667-8783

Massimiliano Buoli https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3359-3191

Article

Publisher ID: 10.1177_10783903221139831

DOI: 10.1177/10783903221139831

PMC ID: 11141104

PubMed ID: 36482670

SO-VID: f32af732-12c8-49fc-a010-8d998b3b8573

License:

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages ( https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

History

Funding

Funded by: georgia department of public health, FundRef https://doi.org/10.13039/100014479;

Custom metadata

typesetter ts1

cover-date May/June 2024

Keywords: perinatal mental health,women’s mental health,mood disorders,postpartum depression,anxiety and anxiety disorders

Data availability:

Keywords: perinatal mental health, women’s mental health, mood disorders, postpartum depression, anxiety and anxiety disorders

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Climate Change is an Emerging Threat to Perinatal Mental Health

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Abstract

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Climate Change: Open Access

Most cited references 51

Onset timing, thoughts of self-harm, and diagnoses in postpartum women with screen-positive depression findings.

Air Pollution and Non-Communicable Diseases: A review by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies’ Environmental Committee. Part 2: Air pollution and organ systems

Biological and psychosocial predictors of postpartum depression: systematic review and call for integration.

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