Bryanne Barnett

• UNSW Sydney

Background Mothers with mild to moderate depression in pregnancy are at risk of developing postpartum depression. Midwife-led continuity of care may support maternal mental health throughout the perinatal period. Research is needed to better understand how continuity of care may support mothers experiencing depression in pregnancy. This study aimed...

This study examined the associations between maternal depression and oxytocin in pregnancy, caregiving sensitivity and adult attachment style, and infant temperament. One hundred and six women recruited from a public hospital antenatal clinic in Australia, and their infants completed assessments at three time points (Time 1: pregnancy; Time 2: 3‐mo...

Background Evidence suggests that enhanced midwifery care may lead to reduction of antenatal distress among pregnant women. Nevertheless, the access/uptake and outcomes for expectant mothers from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds may be limited. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of enhanced midwifery care in redu...

This study investigated maternal oxytocin, caregiving sensitivity and mother-to-infant bonding at 3-months postpartum as predictors of child behavior and psychological outcomes in the preschool years, when controlling for concurrent maternal negative emotional symptoms and adult attachment state-of-mind. Forty-five mother–child dyads were assessed...

Background : Systematic reviews have shown that midwifery continuity of care programs lead to improvements in birth outcomes for women and babies, but no reviews have focused specifically on the impact of midwifery continuity of care on maternal mental health outcomes. Objective : To systematically review the available evidence on the impact of mi...

Background: Universal mental health screening and psychosocial assessment during pregnancy have been recommended as best practice, but uptake of universal programs in the private hospital system has been slow. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the Pre-admission Midwife Appointment Program (PMAP), an antenatal mental health screening pro...

This study investigated links between maternal postnatal oxytocin, maternal sensitivity, and infant attachment security. At 3-months postpartum, participants (n=88) took part in a structured parent-infant interaction. Maternal oxytocin levels were assessed via blood, before and after the interaction. At 12-months postpartum, mother-child dyads comp...

Background . In Australia, clinical practice guidelines have been developed to support the implementation of antenatal psychosocial assessment and depression screening in routine clinical obstetric care. While there has been widespread uptake of antenatal psychosocial assessment and depression screening programs in Australian public hospitals, impl...

Background: Perinatal mental ill-health is a global health priority. Mental health screening during pregnancy is a routine part of clinical practice in many public hospital obstetric services across Australia, but implementation in the private hospital system has lagged. Aims: This study explored health professionals' perspectives on the Pre-adm...

Recognition of the protective value of secure parent–child relationships has prompted a growing interest in parenting interventions informed by attachment theory. Circle of Security Parenting (COS-P) is one such program, specifically designed for scalability. Although widely disseminated internationally, evidence for the effectiveness of COS-P is v...

Abstract Background and objectives The perinatal period presents a high-risk time for development of mood disorders. Australia-wide universal perinatal care, including depression screening, make this stage amenable to population-level preventative approaches. In a large cohort of women receiving public perinatal care in Sydney, Australia, we examin...

Introduction: We have previously presented on the design and implementation of an integrated care initiative for vulnerable families in central and inner-west Sydney, Australia. That design was based on earlier mixed-method emergent theory building research in relation to family stress in the perinatal period. A focus for integrated care programs h...

There are limited epidemiological data on exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Australian mothers to advocate for targeted and/or culturally-appropriate interventions. This study investigated the determinants of EBF cessation in the early postnatal period among CALD Australian mothers in Sydney, Australia...

There are limited epidemiological data on exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Australian mothers to advocate for targeted and/or culturally-appropriate interventions. This study investigated the determinants of EBF cessation in the early postnatal period among CALD Australian mothers in Sydney, Australia...

Background: Globally, anxiety and depression are the most common complications of the perinatal period (conception to 1 year postpartum). It is now recognised that anxiety and depression are more commonly found antenatally than postnatally and represent the greatest risk factor for developing postnatal depression. Research in this space has focuse...

Background: Depression is a leading source of morbidity and health loss in Australian women. This study investigates the determinants of antenatal depressive symptoms and postnatal depressive symptoms in an Australian population, including people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. Method: The study used a retrospectiv...

Background: This study investigated the associations of maternal oxytocin, self-reported attachment insecurity and depressive symptoms with maternal caregiving sensitivity at 3-4months postpartum, observed during the 'free play' and 'reunion' episodes of the Still Face Procedure. Methods: 112 mothers completed questionnaires and gave blood sampl...

We interrogated the genetic modulation of maternal oxytocin response and its association with maternal behavior using genetic risk scores within the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene. We identified a novel SNP, rs968389, to be significantly associated with maternal oxytocin response after a challenging mother-infant interaction task (Still Face Paradig...

The publicly available GTeX database [31] and the Braineac database of the UK Brain Expression Consortium () revealed that rs968389 was significantly associated with gene expression of the OXTR gene within the caudate (basal ganglia) brain tissue (p-value = 1.7E-8) as well as the frontal cortex (p-value =8.7E-7) among others, providing evidence of...

Background One in four Australians is born overseas and 47 % are either born overseas or have a parent who was. Obstetric and psychosocial risk factors for these women may differ. Method Data from one Sydney hospital (2012–2013) of all births recorded in the ObstetriX™ database were analysed (n = 3,092). Demographics, obstetric and psychosocial ri...

Background: It has been recommended that psychosocial assessment (including depression screening) be integrated into routine antenatal care across Australia, but implementation in the private sector has lagged. Aims: This study aimed to report preliminary outcomes associated with an antenatal psychosocial assessment and depression screening prog...

In this paper, we aimed to assess cross-sectionally and longitudinally associations between disturbances in maternal early attachment experiences, symptoms of separation anxiety and depression and oxytocin plasma levels. We examined a mediational model that tested the hypothesis that anxious attachment style arising from the mothers' early bonding...

Introduction: Trauma, including suicide, accidental injury, motor traffic accidents, and homicides, accounts for 73% of all maternal deaths (early and late) in NSW annually. Late maternal deaths are underreported and are not as well documented or acknowledged as early deaths. Methods: Linked population datasets from births, hospital admissions,...

The objective of the study was to identify latent variables that can be used to inform theoretical models of perinatal influences on postnatal depressed mood and maternal-infant attachment. A routine survey of mothers with newborn infants was commenced in South Western Sydney in 2000. The survey included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EP...

The purpose is to explore the multilevel spatial distribution of depressive symptoms among migrant mothers in South Western Sydney and to identify any group level associations that could inform subsequent theory building and local public health interventions. Migrant mothers (n=7,256) delivering in 2002 and 2003 were assessed at 2-3 weeks after del...

Background: This study examined predictors of parenting self-efficacy (PSE) in a sample of first-time mothers during the first year after childbirth and evaluated the effect of a brief, intensive, mother-infant residential intervention on PSE and infant behaviour. Methods: 83 primiparous women with infants aged 0-12 months admitted to a resident...

Background From 2000 a routine survey of mothers with newborn infants was commenced in South Western Sydney. The survey included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors for postnatal depressive symptoms in women living in metropolitan Sydney, Australia. Methods Mothers...

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors for postnatal depressive symptoms in women living in metropolitan Sydney, Australia. A population-based cross-sectional study of mothers of newborn infants was undertaken during home and community clinic visits in South West Sydney from 2000 to 2004. A comprehensive 45 item surv...

Many publications emphasise: (1) the importance for an individual's lifelong physical and mental wellbeing of how their life began; and (2) women's vulnerability, especially during the reproductive stage, to depression and anxiety - conditions that undermine parenting confidence and capacity. The conclusion is usually that pregnancy and early infan...

Interest in the measurement of parenting confidence in research and clinical contexts has grown considerably in recent decades, particularly in the area of health care. Psychometric and technical characteristics of scales assessing this construct suitable for the parents of children aged 0-12 years were reviewed in this research. In so doing, infor...

Routine Comprehensive Psychosocial Assessment was implemented antenatally at a public hospital in Sydney in 2000. The assessment, completed on all women, classifies them as (1) currently, or at high-risk of becoming, distressed, or, (2) not currently, or at low risk of becoming, distressed during the perinatal period. This pilot study followed up a...

Recognition of high rates of mental health morbidity and mortality that affect women during the perinatal period has prompted the development of psychosocial risk assessment programs. Designed to identify women, at risk, during routine health checks and delivered by primary care health service providers, these fit within a primary prevention and ea...

Parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) is a short-term, evidence-based parent training intervention used widely in the treatment of behaviourally disordered preschool-aged children. Outcome studies have shown PCIT to be associated with lasting improvements in child and sibling behaviours and in the interactional styles, stress levels, confidence,...

Objective: This study compares maternal mood, marital satisfaction and infant temperament in 128 mothers admitted to the residential care unit of a parentcraft hospitaland 58 mothers in a demographically matched group. Method: Mothers were recruited from the residential care unit of a parentcraft hospital (Tresillian Family Care Centres) and a comp...

This study measured antenatal risk factors for postnatal depression in the Australian population, both singly and in combination. Risk factor data were gathered antenatally and depressive symptoms measured via the beyondblue National Postnatal Depression Program, a large prospective cohort study into perinatal mental health, conducted in all six st...

This prospective study aimed to determine predictors of persistent postnatal depression between child age one and four years, in a sample of mothers already identified as having a high incidence of postnatal depression at four months after birth and a relatively high prevalence of symptoms of depression at child age one year. Data (self-report ques...

In addition to research applications, the measurement of perceived parental self-efficacy (PPSE) could be useful clinically in screening for parenting difficulties, targeting interventions, and evaluating outcomes. In this research we examined the psychometric properties of the Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale (KPCS), a new 15-item PPSE measure....

Routine screening was introduced as a joint research/public-health initiative across 43 health services in Australia, funded by beyondblue, the National Australian Depression Initiative. This program included assessing risk factors and prevalence of depression in perinatal women. Other objectives included increasing awareness of the condition, trai...

i) To highlight the increasing use in the literature of unvalidated cut-off scores on the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS/EPDS), as well as different wording and formatting in the scale; ii) to investigate and discuss the possible impact of using an unvalidated cut-off score; iii) to highlight possible reasons for these 'errors'; and iv) to make re...

To assess the acceptability of routine screening for perinatal depression. Postnatal women (n=860) and health professionals (n=916) were surveyed after 3 years of routine perinatal (antenatal and postnatal) use of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Over 90% of women had the screening explained to them and found the EPDS easy to comple...

Research relating to the postnatal mental health of women has tended to focus on postnatal depression. There have been increasing calls to consider the issue of post‐partum anxiety disorders, including post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study sought to provide further evidence regarding the prevalence and longitudinal course of post‐trauma...

Cognitive theories of depression maintain that negative thoughts about the self and of the future are central features of depression. In postnatal depression, these negative thoughts may impact upon the mother's experience of parenting. This study investigated the impact of maternal depression during the first postnatal year and beyond and infant g...

Postnatal depression affects 14% of women, occurring also antenatally, with potential long-term consequences, making it an important disorder to detect and manage early. In this study we sought to examine knowledge and awareness of perinatal depression in health professionals involved in perinatal care throughout Australia prior to the implementati...

Das beyondblue National Postnatal Depression Program ist eine öffentliche Gesundheitsinitiative mit einer Laufzeit von vier Jahren. In dieser Dimension ist das Programm auch im internationalen Vergleich einzigartig. Die Initiative zielt darauf ab, ein Screeningprogramm zu entwickeln und zu evaluieren, das bestehende Ressourcen der Gesundheitsversor...

A large body of literature has investigated the effects of postnatal depression on infant development. However, the particular circumstances in which depression is associated with adverse effects remain unresolved. Factors, such as the nature of depression (e.g., duration and severity) and the context with respect to other risk and protective facto...

A community networking initiative for parents (mothers) of infants was initiated in two urban regions in Sydney, Australia. The service consisted of three components: weekly pramwalks, weekly talks on topics of interest to new parents and a regular service newsletter, containing information of interest to the participants and contact details of mem...

To identify ways to improve detection and access to treatment. A survey of general practitioners and postnatal women across Australia addressing knowledge of, and attitudes to, postnatal depression using case vignettes. General practitioners were significantly more likely to recognise depression than postnatal women, who were likely to seek help fo...

The acceptability of routine psychosocial assessments to women and staff at an antenatal clinic of a public hospital in Sydney, Australia, was investigated. 104 English-speaking women had a telephone interview within a few days of the psychosocial assessment, and 65 of these women also participated in a telephone interview 5-8 weeks after the birth...

Infants can show a range of social behavior when interacting with their main caregiver. Previous work has demonstrated that when the caregiver is depressed, the infant may demonstrate withdrawn behavior not only to this person but also to others. This pilot study used a relatively new assessment tool, the Alarme Distress de Bebe Scale (ADBB; Gueden...

This study prospectively investigated the factors underlying the maintenance and persistence of postnatal depression beyond the first year after birth. One hundred primiparous women who were admitted to a parentcraft hospital for a week were assessed after discharge at 4 and 12 months postpartum. Various measures of mood, interpersonal relationship...

Routine psychosocial assessment was introduced at an Australian public hospital's antenatal clinic in 2001. After modification, this assessment consists of 12 questions together with the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS). Data are reported for responses to these questions from over 2,000 English-speaking women presenting to the clinic in a 12-month...

To determine the effectiveness of a psychosocial intervention, provided to expectant couples in routine antenatal classes, on the postpartum psychosocial adjustment of women and men. A 3*3 between subjects randomised control design was utilised. The two factors were condition and self-esteem. Preparation for Parenthood programs were randomly alloca...

The material was presented during a symposium on "Mother-Baby joint admission for mental health care in different countries" at the Marcé Society International Biennial Scientific Meeting in Sydney (Australia) in 2002 (25-27 September 2002). The introduction stresses the main contribution of each of the six papers. It discusses the general context...

Although anxiety disorders are documented in the literature for new mothers (but less so for fathers), rates of postpartum caseness tend to include only those with depression when diagnostic interviews or self-report measures validated on such interviews are used. This methodology therefore underestimates the true percentage of women and men who ex...

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS; [Cox et al , 1987][1]) is one of the most widely used self-report instruments to screen for depression in the post-partum and antenatal periods. As with all instruments, it is important for validity that the wording of a measure remains faithful to

* Significant perinatal distress and depression affects 14% of women, producing short and long term consequences for the family. This suggests that measures for early detection are important, and non-identification of these women may exacerbate difficulties. * Screening provides an opportunity to access large numbers of women and facilitate pathway...

Significant perinatal distress and depression affects 14% of women, producing short and long term consequences for the family. This suggests that measures for early detection are important, and non-identification of these women may exacerbate difficulties. Screening provides an opportunity to access large numbers of women and facilitate pathways to...

Chinese women (N = 102) who had migrated to Sydney, Australia, were interviewed about traditional cultural practices they had followed in the first six weeks of the postpartum period. The majority (90.2%) of these women had adhered to some form of practice, with the most frequent being eating warm ('yang') food (78%), following confinement for one...

Objective: To investigate the postpartum psychosocial and infant care topics that women and men who attend preparation for parenthood classes have been thinking or worrying about during the pregnancy. Furthermore, to compare the rates of endorsement of such issues for women and men so that clinicians can use this information to help plan which top...

This study compares maternal mood, marital satisfaction and infant temperament in 128 mothers admitted to the residential care unit of a parentcraft hospital and 58 mothers in a demographically matched group. Mothers were recruited from the residential care unit of a parentcraft hospital (Tresillian Family Care Centres) and a comparison group from...

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) has been validated and used extensively in screening for depression in new mothers, both in English speaking and non-English speaking communities. While some studies have reported the use of the EPDS with fathers, none have validated it for this group, and thus the appropriate cut-off score for screen...

The course of postnatal depression was examined in first-time mothers and fathers with emphasis on the role of personality and parental relationships as risk factors. 157 couples were assessed at four points: antenatally and at 6, 12 and 52 weeks postnatally. Various measures of mood and personality were administered at each of these assessment poi...

An extension of the Home Situations Questionnaire is described (HSQ-M), and normative data for an Australian clinical sample are reported. Reports were obtained from both female (339) and male (143) informants on 403 children aged between 3 and 12 (287 boys, 116 girls) from nine centres in Sydney. Clinicians from these centres predicted the likely...

A recent paper by Barclay and Kent (1998) raised various issues with regards to motherhood and recent immigration. They expressed reservations with conceptualizing extreme misery in new mothers as depression, and with screening for postnatal distress in women from non-English-speaking backgrounds (NESB). They argued that a common self-report measur...

Preparation for parenthood classes traditionally focus mainly on childbirth and are aimed particularly at women. Fathers (n = 193) who attended these classes were interviewed when their infant was 6 weeks old, and 31% stated that they would have liked more information on caring for the infant, either at the antenatal classes or postpartum. At 6 mon...

A self-selected sample of 31 Cambodian mothers in Australia were interviewed about their pre-migration experiences and about childbirth. There was a significant relationship between the number of trauma events experienced prior to birth and psychological morbidity following birt‘h. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale appears particularly sensi...

Translations into Vietnamese and Arabic of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) were assessed to determine usefulness, acceptability and validity. Women of Arabic-speaking, Vietnamese and Anglo-Celtic background were recruited antenatally and interviewed at six weeks and six months postpartum. At each stage they completed translated vers...

The significance of a western woman's social supports to postnatal depression is well documented. We examine which deficits in components of their social support network are associated with postnatal depression in women from a non-English-speaking background. The social support network and postnatal mood of 105 Anglo-Celtic, 113 Vietnamese and 98 A...

A review of the psychological, psychiatric, and social science literature revealed that parentification and role-reversal are terms that are used extensively, often without precise definition, although the implication is almost invariably that the process is pathogenic. An organismic rather than mechanistic view of the situation might suggest that,...

A group programme for postnatally distressed women and their partners is described. The programme consists of eight sessions, including one session for the couple. The concerns of the women centre around their anxieties and feelings towards their partners, their own mothers and their infants. Psychotherapeutic and cognitive-behavioural strategies a...

A group programme for postnatally distressed women and their partners is described. The programme consists of eight sessions, including one session for the couple. The concerns of the women centre around their anxieties and feelings towards their partners, their own mothers and their infants. Psychotherapeutic and cognitive-behavioural strategies a...

The aim of this study was to determine whether an individual's defense style significantly influences his or her relationship satisfaction in the transition to parenthood. Questionnaire measures of relationship satisfaction and personality (including defense style) were administered in the midtrimester of pregnancy to 157 couples expecting their fi...

The original study aimed to determine the best cut-off scores to screen for postnatal depression on translated versions of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) for Vietnamese and Arabic women. This research was conducted using the depression module of the Diagnostic interview Schedule (DIS) to determine caseness. This paper reports on th...

To review the question of whether an infant should be admitted to psychiatric services when a severe psychiatric disorder necessitates admission of the mother. All available literature on mother-infant joint admission was reviewed and arguments for and against are summarised. Early reports favoured joint admission, then opinions changed, possibly f...

While the link between childhood sexual abuse and adult psychiatric disorder has been documented, such research has not looked at any association with postpartum depression. Admissions to the Mercy Mother-Baby Unit are reviewed with respect to a possible link, with case examples presented. An aetiological model is proposed and clinical implications...

Charles Street Parent and Baby Day Unit (PBDU), is a specialized, multi-disciplinary, psychiatric day hospital in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, that provides a comprehensive service of high intensity, customized treatment to parents with psychological disorders associated with pregnancy, childbirth, stillbirth, miscarriage and termination (Cox et...

The mothers (n = 100) of consecutive infants admitted to a mothercraft residential facility were asked to complete the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Only one of the women had been identified prior to the infant's admission as having postnatal depression, but 39% scored above the cut-off point for likely major depressive disorder. No...

Over the last quarter century, the improved survival rate of very low birthweight infants has sharpened questions about their residual disabilities. Longitudinal studies have devoted attention to the cognitive and neurodevelopmental outcome of these infants, but much less is known about their long-term social and emotional development. Psychiatrist...

With the burgeoning of infant psychiatry, and the increasing survival and development of cohorts of very low birthweight (VLBW) infants, psychiatrists are becoming increasingly involved with other professionals in designing and implementing early intervention programs. Psychosocial interventions for VLBW infants generally report positive results re...

One hundred and forty non-depressed primiparous women in a stable relationship completed two personality measures (the EPI and the IPSM) antenatally, and were then assessed for depression at several times post-natally. The risk of depression at six months was increased up to tenfold by high interpersonal sensitivity and threefold by high neuroticis...

Primiparous women were divided into groups according to their post-partum trait anxiety scores. Professional or non-professional support for the first 12 months was offered to two subgroups of high trait anxiety subjects. At the 5-year follow-up the high-anxiety mothers (n = 57) manifested more psychological and social pathology than moderate- and...

A longitudinal study of 45 mothers and their first-born infants was conducted to identify developmentally meaningful, individual differences in children''s primitive empathic responding at 12 months of age, and to determine whether differences in self-regulatory skills assessed at 4 months might underlie any differences in empathic responding obser...

A group of primiparous women in Australia rated their parents' attitudes and behaviors toward them as children as well as perceived levels of social support shortly after the birth of their first child and 1 year later. After any bias that might have been introduced by neurotic perception of interpersonal relationships had been controlled for, anal...

Ainsworth's Strange Situation Procedure was used to assess attachment in 134 mother-infant pairs in an Australian nonclinical sample. Seventy percent of the infants were rated as securely attached at 1 year of age. The mothers were primiparas classified according to their trait anxiety level, into high-, moderate-, and low-anxiety groups. Intervent...