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24
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Introduction
Semra Worrall is a Doctoral Academic Teacher and PhD Student at the University of Liverpool. Her primary interests include perinatal mental health and infant development, and much of her work focuses on the impact of a preterm birth on maternal mental health.
Current institution
Education
September 2021 - September 2022
September 2018 - July 2021
University of Liverpool
Field of study
- Psychology
Publications
Publications (24)
Preterm birth is a significant public health concern. In England, 8.1% of all births in 2023 were classified as premature. The psychological impact of preterm birth on parents has become of increasing interest to researchers. However, the long-term psychological impact on preterm babies, the effect prematurity has on wider family units, and the eff...
Introduction: Nearly three quarters of stillbirths and neonatal deaths occur in infants born prematurely. The mothers of these children may be at increased risk of developing mental health difficulties as a result of their premature labour and/or subsequent loss.
Methods: This systematic review was conducted to understand the psychological experie...
Objectives: To describe the development and the methodology for validation of a new scale for postpartum anxiety for mothers of preterm infants, and a ‘Velcro’ sub-scale of the Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale for use with mothers who have had infants admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Methods: We undertook three forms of iterative psyc...
Purpose: Whilst the antenatal period is well established as a period of increased vulnerability to mental health difficulties, restrictions resulting from COVID-19 lockdown in the UK are likely to have negatively affected psychosocial outcomes in these women.
Materials and Methods: This study aimed to describe prevalence rates of clinically relevan...
Introduction: Women identified at risk for preterm may be vulnerable to developing mental health difficulties due to the increased likelihood of poor pregnancy outcome and uncertainty surrounding their delivery. Formal assessment of mental wellbeing in specialist preterm birth clinics is not routinely offered but may offer the opportunity for early...
Background
Postpartum Anxiety [PPA] is a prevalent problem in society, posing a significant burden to women, infant health, and the National Health Service [NHS]. Despite this, it is poorly detected by current maternal mental health practices. Due to the current lack of appropriate psychometric measures, insufficiency in training of healthcare prof...
Objective
Mothers of premature infants are more likely to develop anxiety during the first postpartum year than mothers of term infants. However, commonly used measures of anxiety were developed for general adult populations and may produce spurious, over-inflated scores when used in a postpartum context. Although perinatal-specific tools such as...
Review question:
1) What are the psychological experiences of mothers who give birth to a preterm baby who subsequently dies?
Introduction
It is well established that a premature birth increases the likelihood of developing anxiety during the postpartum period, and that the environment of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) might be a contributing factor. Mothers of earlier premature infants may experience these anxieties to a higher degree compared to mothers of late...
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic posed a significant lifecourse rupture, not least to those who had specific physical vulnerabilities to the virus, but also to those who were suffering with mental ill health. Women and birthing people who were pregnant, experienced a perinatal bereavement, or were in the first post-partum year (i.e., perinatal)...
Postpartum anxiety has negative consequences for both mother and infant, so effective identification and measurement is vital to enable intervention. Despite NICE recommendations to prioritise the measurement of postpartum anxiety in mothers, current clinical measurement in England remains both fragmented and flawed. The Postpartum Specific Anxiety...
1) What is the relationship between gestational age and postpartum anxiety?
2) What are the experiences of mothers of premature infants with postpartum anxiety?
PROSPERO Registration Number: CRD42023369647
1) What is the relationship between prenatal anxiety and gestational age?
2) What are the experiences of prenatal anxiety in mothers who have previously experienced a preterm birth?
3) What are the experiences of prenatal anxiety in mothers who have previously experienced a mid-trimester loss (from 14 weeks' gestation)?
4) What are the experiences...
Studies concerning the effect of a premature birth on maternal mental health suggest symptoms of depression and anxiety are more prevalent in mothers of premature infants compared to mothers of term infants. However, most studies investigating depressive symptoms only relate to a few months postpartum, whilst no anxiety measures used have been post...
This study aimed to identify the key needs associated with clinical identification of PPA in England from stakeholders, with the view of modifying the PSAS for clinical use.
Background: Theoretical models of addiction predict that an attentional bias toward substance-related cues plays a role in development and maintenance of addictive behaviors, although empirical data testing these predictions are somewhat equivocal. This may in part be a consequence of substantial variability in methods used to operationalize attent...
