Abstract
BackgroundWe used population-based data to determine the public’s views of prenatal and postnatal mental health and to identify predictors of those views.MethodsA computer-assisted telephone survey was conducted by the Population Health Laboratory (University of Alberta) with a random sample of participants from the province of Alberta, Canada. Respondents were eligible to participate if they were: 1) ≥18 years; and 2) contacted by direct dialing. Questions were drawn from the Perinatal Depression Monitor, an Australian population-based survey on perinatal mental health; additional questions were developed and tested to reflect the Canadian context. Descriptive and multivariable regression analyses were conducted.ResultsAmong the 1207 respondents, 74.7% had post-secondary education, 16.3% were in childbearing years, and over half (57.4%) reported knowing a woman who had experienced postpartum depression. Significantly more respondents had high levels of knowledge of postnatal (87.4%) than prenatal (70.5%) mental health (p < .01). Only 26.6% of respondents accurately identified that prenatal anxiety/depression could negatively impact child development. Personal knowledge of a woman with postpartum depression was a significant predictor of prenatal and postnatal mental health knowledge.ConclusionsWhile the public’s knowledge of postnatal mental health is high, knowledge regarding prenatal mental health and its influence on child development is limited. Strategies for improving perinatal mental health literacy should target these knowledge deficits.
Highlights
We used population-based data to determine the public’s views of prenatal and postnatal mental health and to identify predictors of those views
Questions addressed topics related to knowledge of the effects of anxiety and depression occurring during pre-conception, pregnancy, and postpartum periods; help-seeking for prenatal and postpartum anxiety and depression; and screening and treatment for pregnant and postpartum women with anxiety or depression
Whereas most demographic variables were not significant, we found that older participants and those with no postsecondary education had significantly lower levels of prenatal and postnatal mental health knowledge, respectively
Summary
We used population-based data to determine the public’s views of prenatal and postnatal mental health and to identify predictors of those views. At a prevalence of 13 to 25%, stress, depression, and anxiety are the most common complications experienced by women during the prenatal and postnatal periods [1,2]. While some barriers that women describe are clearly system-related (e.g., not obtaining a referral in a timely manner) [7], many reflect deeply held views regarding mental health problems in the prenatal and postnatal periods, including the expectation of being constantly happy to be pregnant or have a new infant, the association of mental health problems with maternal incompetency and being a failure as a mother, the fear that others would think less of them if they admitted to experiencing symptoms, the need to be a ‘super-mother,’ the concern that their infant would be apprehended, and the belief that symptoms would improve spontaneously [8,9,10]
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