Simone Schwank

Karolinska Institutet | KI · Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology - CLINTEC

The aim of our study was to evaluate the mental health of pregnant individuals during the early COVID-19 pandemic and the potential factors associated. A Swiss online survey was proposed to individuals who gave birth during the pandemic period from March 2020. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 questions...

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to unprecedented worries and challenges for pregnant women due to social restrictions and changes in maternity care provision. We aimed to investigate the mental health impact of COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant women in Sweden and explore factors associated with poor perinatal mental health in...

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to unprecedented worries and challenges for pregnant women due to social restrictions and changes in maternity care provision. We aimed to investigate the mental health impact of COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant women in Sweden and explore factors associated with poor perinatal mental health in this sp...

To investigate the impact of a web-based psychosocial intervention on EPDS among urban pregnant women living in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Introduction Mental health disorders are common during pregnancy and the postnatal period and can have serious adverse effects on women and their children. The consequences for global mental health due to COVID-19 are likely to be significant and may have a long-term impact on the global burden of disease. Besides physical vulnerability, pregnant w...

Background: There is an increasing global trend towards the widespread over-medicalisation of labour and childbirth. The present study aimed to investigate pregnant women's clinical characteristics, intrapartum interventions, duration of labour and its associated factors; and to compare the differences of these variables between nulliparas and mul...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Sixteen women in Shanghai participated in semistructured interviews, and thematic analysis was used to interpret their responses. An overarching theme, three main themes, and 13 subthemes were identified. The overarching theme (the old ways and the new—transition into motherhood) in new China, had these main themes: (1) urban Chinese women’s transi...

With the pandemic of Coronavirus disease‐19 (COVID‐19) spiraling out of control, the world is desperately frazzled at the moment. A few empirical studies related to this pandemic have reported higher prevalence of mental health problems among women compared to men.1 In this context, pregnant women and new mothers could certainly be more vulnerable....

China's healthcare is improving together with rapid economic growth. Yet, mental healthcare is lagging behind. Prevalence of perinatal depression is high among women of the one-child generation, but access to qualified care is limited. Chinese healthcare professionals, policy makers and patients alike express concerns about insufficient knowledge a...

Mental health is a major public health concern in China. Help-seeking behavior typically does not involve professionals. Aim of the study was to assess Shanghai women’s care-seeking behavior for common mental health disorders. Using an online survey, fielding questions regarding perinatal mental health status and help-seeking behavior. A total of 4...

In order to reach the WHO’s Sustainable Development Goals relating to maternal and infant health, maternal mental health preconditional needs to be addressed. The purpose of the thesis project was to explore how Shanghai women and health care providers perceive mental health problems during the perinatal period in urban China, in the light of the t...

Background Mental health has recently been receiving a growing amount of attention in mainland China, with mental disorders increasingly being recognized as a major public health concern. However, the treatment gap for mental health care is markedly high in China. Previous research and clinical practice have focused on high-risk physical disorders...

Objectives The Chinese government launched the two-child policy in 2015 to counteract the demographic changes, skewed sex ratio, and decreasing number of labor force. The policy shift has a significant impact on all levels of society and economy. This study aimed to describe how Mainland Chinese women face this new decision-making on their reproduc...

Background: Caesarean section rates have risen beyond the WHO recommended level in many countries worldwide. An emerging epidemic in caesareans has appeared in China over the past two decades, mainly driven by non-medical factors. China's one-child policy was previously seen as a potential factor for contributing to women's high caesarean section...

Objective To explore nulliparous women's perceptions of decision making regarding mode of delivery under China's two-child policy. Design Qualitative descriptive design with in-depth semi-structured interviews. Setting Postnatal wards at a tertiary specialized women's hospital in Shanghai, China. Participants 21 nulliparous women 2-3 days postpa...

Background Pregnancy is a period of transition, which makes women more vulnerable and in unfavorable conditions may lead to psychopathology in both mother and infant. It is essential to outline factors adversely affecting the resolution of this period. Early interventions and why they matter: Interventions during pregnancy can provide important imp...

Introduction Transition into parenthood is a demanding phase in life and exposes the becoming parents to vulnerability for depression, anxiety and stress. Perinatal mental health problems are a major public health issue and many women suffering from depression during their first year after delivery. High levels of stress during pregnancy are associ...

Infant mental development occurs in interplay with a caregiver. The infant establishes an inner world, a psyche, by using his or her caregiver as transitional mental space for the development of a sense of self. This mental progress occurs simultaneously with motor elaboration, pre-conditioned by neurophysiological maturation. The bodily holding fu...

Antenatal care is an important component of maternity care. In many parts of the world, midwives are the primary caregivers for childbearing women, providing a high level of continuity of care during a normal pregnancy. While in China, obstetricians are the primary providers of antenatal care for all childbearing women; and midwives only provide in...