Aleksandra Staneva

• PhD Psychology/Perinatal Mental Health
• Researcher at Queensland University of Technology

Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy is a potential risk factor for various birth complications. This study aimed to explore psychological factors associated with adverse birth outcomes. Symptoms of psychological distress, individual characteristics, and medical complications were assessed at two time points antenatally in 285 women fro...

Background: Maternal mental health during pregnancy has been identified as a key factor in the future physiological, emotional and social development of both the mother and her baby. Yet little is known about the factors that contribute to increased levels of pregnancy-specific distress. The present study investigated the role of two psychosocial a...

Experiencing psychological distress such as depression, anxiety, and/or perceived stress during pregnancy may increase the risk for adverse birth outcomes, including preterm birth. Clarifying the association between exposure and outcome may improve the understanding of risk factors for prematurity and guide future clinical and research practices. T...

Motherhood narratives pervade all cultures and are almost universally di-vided into the ‘good and perfect’ or the ‘bad and ugly’ mother discourses. A mother’s love is commonly thought of as an emotional investment between those who mother, and those who are mothered, and social expectations rein-force motherhood as being underpinned by an innate ps...

Quickly emerging perinatal evidence on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant women and new mothers is highlighting higher rates of depression and anxiety with plenty of contributing factors such as physical isolation, increased household and childcare duties, relationship conflict, health and financial concerns, and an overall fear over the s...

Quickly emerging perinatal evidence on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant women and new mothers is highlighting higher rates of depression and anxiety with plenty of contributing factors such as physical isolation, increased household and childcare duties, relationship conflict, health and financial concerns, and an overall fear over the s...

BACKGROUND Adolescence is a life stage characterized by intense development and increased vulnerability. Yet, often due to stigma and embarrassment, young people rarely seek help. Alarmingly, even those who do may not be able to receive it. Wellbeing-focussed interventions offer a protective factor against adversity. Highly-effective innovative, ac...

Background Adolescence is a life stage characterized by intense development and increased vulnerability. Yet, young people rarely seek help for mental health, often due to stigma and embarrassment. Alarmingly, even those who do seek help may not be able to receive it. Interventions focused on well-being offer a protective factor against adversity....

Purpose Patients with pancreatic cancer have extremely high unmet psychological and physical needs. Family carers of these patients have even higher levels of distress than patients. Our purpose was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a counselling intervention in patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and their carers. Methods We co...

Abstract Aim: This thematic/conceptual literature review forms a part of the Evaluation process for the peer-led services that Peach Tree Perinatal Wellness provides to mothers experiencing perinatal distress within the community. This review aims to explore the evidence on mental health peer workforce in the perinatal and infant space, and the exi...

Objectives To document the current clinical practice in 2017 for assessment of supportive care needs and provision of supportive care to women with gynecological cancer and their caregivers in Australia, and to identify the main enablers and barriers to care provision. Methods A total of 64 health professionals who care for Australian women with g...

We aimed to examine how women construct their experiences of chemotherapy treatment for ovarian cancer. Through semistructured interviews, we explored the accounts of 18 Australian women about their experiences within a broader cultural imperative—or discourse—to “think positively.” By applying a critical realist lens to the analysis, we identified...

Background: Many women with ovarian cancer experience significant chemotherapy-related adverse effects during treatment and thus cannot complete it without dose reductions and/or delays. There is some indication that chemotherapy completion is associated with improved survival, although currently little is known about what helps women get through...

This article explores how women account for their experiences of pregnancy distress in light of cultural imperatives to be the perfect, happy mother. Our analysis is based on the accounts of 18 Australian women, interviewed during pregnancy on the basis of their reports of experiencing depression and/or anxiety. Working within a feminist discursive...

Advances in perinatal mental health research have provided valuable insights around risk factors for the overall development of maternal distress. However, there is still a limited understanding of the experience of women struggling emotionally during pregnancy. We explored how women view, experience and interpret psychological distress antenatally...

Background Compared to traditional persuasive technology and health games, gamification is posited to offer several advantages for motivating behaviour change for health and well-being, and increasingly used. Yet little is known about its effectiveness. Aims We aimed to assess the amount and quality of empirical support for the advantages and effe...

The post PhD-thesis-submission funk or experiencing the low's after submitting your doctoral thesis

Over 50% of young people have dated by age 15. While romantic relationship concerns are a major reason for adolescent help-seeking from counselling services, we have a limited understanding of what types of relationship issues are most strongly related to mental health issues and suicide risk. This paper used records of 4019 counselling sessions wi...

Share story: " Grief is a normal part of any transition or change, so experiencing these emotions and going through this process is a normal part of a big change like becoming a mother. " Mood swings go hand in hand with pregnancy for millions of women around the world. But when it comes to talking about emotions, it's mostly the high points of the...

Australian Psychological Society, Women and Psychology Interest Group

Purpose: To examine the effect of oppressive discourses on women’s negotiation of maternal identity during pregnancy. Background: Dominant or ‘master’ social discourses serve the powerful role of offering the opportunity of identification, particularly at times of transition where new identities are sought out and internalized. Pregnancy, commonly...

Cultural representations around pregnancy and motherhood impact on the way women construct a mothering identity, through an explicitly scripted framework of The Good Mother. The Good Mother successfully balances roles and a plethora of unambiguous qualities such as a constant emotional composure, absolute devotion, and a negation of any personal ne...

Background: Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of infant mortality and morbidity. Infants born preterm (<37 weeks of gestation) are at a greater risk for a variety of health and developmental problems, and present a considerable emotional and economic cost to families, as well as significant implications for the public-sector services (CDC, 2...