A systematic review of patient-reported outcome measures used in maternal postpartum anxiety.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and to evaluate the psychometric measurement properties of instruments for postpartum anxiety using the Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments guidelines to identify the best available patient-reported outcome measure. DATA SOURCES: We searched 4 databases (CINAHL, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science in July 2022) and included studies that evaluated at least 1 psychometric measurement property of a patient-reported outcome measurement instrument. The protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register for Systematic Reviews under identifier CRD42021260004 and followed the Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments guidelines for systematic reviews. STUDY ELIGIBILITY: Studies eligible for inclusion were those that assessed the performance of a patient-reported outcome measure for screening for postpartum anxiety. We included studies in which the instruments were subjected to some form of psychometric property assessment in the postpartum maternal population, consisted of at least 2 questions, and were not subscales. METHODS: This systematic review used the Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines to identify the best patient-reported outcome measurement instrument for examining postpartum anxiety. A risk of bias assessment was performed, and a modified GRADE approach was used to assess the level of evidence with recommendations being made for the overall quality of each instrument. RESULTS: A total of 28 studies evaluating 13 instruments in 10,570 patients were included. Content validity was sufficient in 9 with 5 instruments receiving a class A recommendation (recommended for use). The Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale, Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale Research Short Form, Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale Research Short Form Covid, Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale-Persian, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory demonstrated adequate content validity and sufficient internal consistency. Nine instruments received a recommendation of class B (further research required). No instrument received a class C recommendation (not recommended for use). CONCLUSION: Five instruments received a class A recommendation, all with limitations, such as not being specific to the postpartum population, not assessing all domains, lacking generalizability, or evaluation of cross-cultural validity. There is currently no freely available instrument that assess all domains of postpartum anxiety. Future studies are needed to determine the optimum current instrument or to develop and validate a more specific measure for maternal postpartum anxiety.

Time to pay attention: an underrecognized casualty of the opioid epidemic.

Maternal mortality and overdose deaths have both been on the rise in the USA, but the relationship between the two is unclear. Recent reports have pointed toward accidental overdoses and suicides as leading causes of maternal mortality. This short communication collected data on psychiatric-related deaths, suicide and drug overdose, from each state's Maternal Mortality Review Committee to better conceptualize the rate at which these deaths are occurring. Data was collected from each state's most recent online MMRC legislative report and met inclusion criteria if the reports included the number of deaths due to suicide and accidental overdoses during each review period, as well if the report encompassed data from 2017. Fourteen reports met inclusion criteria, cumulatively reviewing 1929 maternal deaths. Of these deaths, 603 (31.3%) were due to accidental overdose, while 111 (5.7%) were due to suicide. These findings highlight the need for increased psychiatric care in the pregnant and postpartum period, specifically for substance use disorders. Increasing screening for depression and substance use, decriminalizing substance use during pregnancy, and extending Medicaid coverage to 12 months postpartum on a national level are all interventions that could significantly reduce maternal deaths.

Detection of differential depressive symptom patterns in a cohort of perinatal women: an exploratory factor analysis using a robust statistics approach.

Background: Postpartum depression can take many forms. Different symptom patterns could have divergent implications for how we screen, diagnose, and treat postpartum depression. We sought to utilise a recently developed robust estimation algorithm to automatically identify differential patterns in depressive symptoms and subsequently characterise the individuals who exhibit different patterns. Methods: Depressive symptom data (N = 548) were collected from women with neuropsychiatric illnesses at two U.S. urban sites participating in a longitudinal observational study of stress across the perinatal period. Data were collected from Emory University between 1994 and 2012 and from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences between 2012 and 2017. We conducted an exploratory factor analysis of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) items using a robust expectation-maximization algorithm, rather than a conventional expectation-maximization algorithm. This recently developed method enabled automatic detection of differential symptom patterns. We described differences in symptom patterns and conducted unadjusted and adjusted analyses of associations of symptom patterns with demographics and psychiatric histories. Findings: 53 (9.7%) participants were identified by the algorithm as having a different pattern of reported symptoms compared to other participants. This group had more severe symptoms across all items-especially items related to thoughts of self-harm and self-judgement-and differed in how their symptoms related to underlying psychological constructs. History of social anxiety disorder (OR: 4.0; 95% CI [1.9, 8.1]) and history of childhood trauma (for each 5-point increase, OR: 1.2; 95% CI [1.1, 1.3]) were significantly associated with this differential pattern after adjustment for other covariates. Interpretation: Social anxiety disorder and childhood trauma are associated with differential patterns of severe postpartum depressive symptoms, which might warrant tailored strategies for screening, diagnosis, and treatment to address these comorbid conditions. Funding: There are no funding sources to declare.

Assessment of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Maternal Postpartum Depression Using the Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments Guideline: A Systematic Review.

Importance: Maternal depression is frequently reported in the postpartum period, with an estimated prevalence of approximately 15% during the first postpartum year. Despite the high prevalence of postpartum depression, there is no consensus regarding which patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) should be used to screen for this complex, multidimensional construct. Objective: To evaluate psychometric measurement properties of existing PROMs of maternal postpartum depression using the Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) guideline and identify the best available patient-reported screening measure. Evidence Review: This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guideline. PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, and Web of Science were searched on July 1, 2019, for validated PROMs of postpartum depression, and an additional search including a hand search of references from eligible studies was conducted in June 2021. Included studies evaluated 1 or more psychometric measurement properties of the identified PROMs. A risk-of-bias assessment was performed to evaluate methods of each included study. Psychometric measurement properties of each PROM were rated according to COSMIN criteria. A modified Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach was used to assess the level of evidence supporting each rating, and a recommendation class (A, recommended for use; B, further research required; or C, not recommended) was given based on the overall quality of each included PROM. Findings: Among 10 264 postpartum recovery studies, 27 PROMs were identified. Ten PROMs (37.0%) met the inclusion criteria and were used in 43 studies (0.4%) involving 22 095 postpartum women. At least 1 psychometric measurement property was assessed for each of the 10 validated PROMs identified. Content validity was sufficient in all PROMs. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) demonstrated adequate content validity and a moderate level of evidence for sufficient internal consistency (with sufficient structural validity), resulting in a recommendation of class A. The other 9 PROMs evaluated received a recommendation of class B. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this systematic review suggest that the EPDS is the best available patient-reported screening measure of maternal postpartum depression. Future studies should focus on evaluating the cross-cultural validity, reliability, and measurement error of the EPDS to improve understanding of its psychometric properties and utility.

Women's Mental Health Services and Pregnancy: A Review.

IMPORTANCE: The importance of women's mental health services is becoming more evident as we learn more about the impact of mental health on maternal and perinatal outcomes. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review is to identify the importance of mental health issues arising during pregnancy including prevention, timely diagnosis and treatment, and referral to specialized services. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A literature search was undertaken using the search engines PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. The search terms were as follows: "mental health services" or "behavioral health" or "mental health counseling" or "psychological" and "delivery of health care" and "pregnancy" or "pregnant." The years searched were January 2000 to November 2020. The search was limited to English language. RESULTS: Of the 255 abstracts identified and reviewed, 35 full-text articles were the basis of this review. Literature summarizing the availability and models of care for mental health services for pregnant women is limited. After reviewing the literature, the themes of depression and anxiety in the antepartum and postpartum periods that emerged as mental health issues, especially during adolescent pregnancies, the coronavirus pandemic, intimate partner violence, and pregnancy loss, are of primary importance to obstetrical providers. All of these issues can have a significant impact on maternal and neonatal outcomes and should be addressed during routine practice. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal mental health is garnering deserved attention and has enormous implications on maternal and infant outcomes. Obstetrical providers should be comfortable with screening, identification, and basic treatment algorithms including when to refer to specialized services. RELEVANCE: Mental health issues during pregnancy and the postpartum period can be profound with severe maternal and perinatal consequences.

Perceived Effect of Research on Clinical Care for Women With Opioid Use Disorder.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the perceived effects of clinical research and program evaluation on perceptions of clinical care among women with opioid use disorder (OUD) and their health care providers. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive. SETTING: Four specialty clinics in academic medical centers that provide care for pregnant women with OUD. PARTICIPANTS: Women with OUD during pregnancy or the postpartum period ("women participants"; n = 20) and health care providers ("provider participants"; n = 37). All staff in the clinics were invited to participate in focus groups. METHODS: We conduced focus groups and interviews with the women and provider participants to understand the perceived effects of clinical research and program evaluation on their perceptions of clinical care among women with OUD. We audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed sessions using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Overall, nine themes emerged from the data. Two themes emerged in common among data from the providers and women data: Demands on Women's Time and Challenging Research Topics. Seven additional themes emerged only from the provider data: Potential to Improve Clinical Practice, FundingOpportunities to Provide Services, Burden to Clinical Flow, Overwhelming Number of Studies, Pressure to Engage in Research, Clinic Level Controls to Reduce Research Burden and Potential for Coercion, and Meaningful Input on the Research Process. CONCLUSION: Providers and women shared similar opinions about the opportunities and challenges of research focused on women with OUD. Providers suggested ways to improve the integration of research activities into clinical settings.

Postpartum psychosis and SARS-CoV-2 infection: is there a correlation?

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on mental health. Cases of psychosis associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection have been noted. The Women's Mental Health Program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences determined four-fold increase from data from the last 5 years. We propose that the pandemic should be considered a risk factor for postpartum psychosis. Providers should emphasize sleep hygiene and monitor carefully for psychosis in postpartum women.

Peripartum management for women with opioid dependence.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Opioid use disorder (OUD) in pregnancy has more than quadrupled in prevalence over the past two decades and continues to increase steadily every year. With no defined standard of care for the management of pain during the peripartum period, variability in treatment plans potentially leaves room for interrupted patient care, decreased patient satisfaction, and poorer outcomes. The impact of OUD and its management during the peripartum period has become more widely discussed over the past several years and is the focus of this review. RECENT FINDINGS: Current recommendations including developing a detailed institutional plan for the management of pain for women with OUD during the intrapartum and postpartum periods. There is tremendous value in exploring partnerships with other specialties, including addiction medicine, and behavioral health and obstetrics in development of policies and procedures. Consistency within institutions is critical to improve patient outcomes. SUMMARY: This review will address both pain management recommendations and best clinical practices regarding management of the parturient during the transition periods of the peripartum, intrapartum, and postpartum period. Novel approaches and perspectives from case reports and narrative experience will also be discussed. There are many opportunities in this field for further studies, research, and evidence-based guidelines that promote an established standard of care.

Clearance of buprenorphine during pregnancy and neonatal outcomes.

Buprenorphine is emerging as the preferred pharmacologic treatment for opioid use disorder during pregnancy. We examined the relative plasma clearance of buprenorphine (BUP) across pregnancy. Pregnant women with opioid use disorder participating in a prospective, observational study from 2013 to 2016 on stress in pregnancy who were receiving BUP for opioid use disorder were included. Women with an active eating disorder or suicidal ideation were excluded. Research visits occurred at 4-6-week intervals across pregnancy and the early postpartum period and included medication exposure history and blood samples. All assays for BUP serum concentrations at steady state were completed. Relative weight-adjusted clearance (Cl) was calculated using Cl = (daily dose [mg]/ body weight [kg])/serum concentration [ng/ml]. We collected 112 maternal blood samples from 29 women throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period. Serum concentrations for BUP ranged from < 0.2 to 15.8 ng/ml. Eleven women, with greater than three collected samples, increased their daily dose of BUP during pregnancy; however, there were no significant differences in relative clearance of BUP across this same period. This data suggests that women with opioid use disorder receiving BUP did not demonstrate a significant increase in BUP clearance across pregnancy despite increase in dosages during pregnancy. When selecting an appropriate BUP dosage for management of perinatal opioid use disorder, gestational stage appears not to be an important covariate and should be based on an individualized approach.

Continuous Fetal Monitoring During Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Prospective Observation Study.

OBJECTIVE: The use of electroconvulsive therapy in pregnancy has been limited by concerns about its effects on fetal well-being, despite limited evidence that suggests it is safe and effective. No studies have utilized continuous fetal heart rate monitoring during electroconvulsive therapy sessions. We aimed to describe the fetal heart rate patterns of patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy. DESIGN: This study is a prospective case series of pregnant patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy with continuous fetal heart rate monitoring. SETTING: University-based hospital. POPULATION: Pregnant patients with a psychiatric indication for electroconvulsive therapy. METHODS: Patients underwent fetal heart rate monitoring immediately prior, during and immediately after ECT therapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Characterization of the fetal heart rate tracing. RESULTS: Five subjects underwent 44 electroconvulsive therapy sessions. Continuous fetal monitoring was performed on 34 of the sessions. Transient fetal heart rate decelerations occurred in 4 sessions, all self-resolved and none required intervention. CONCLUSION: This case series is the first to report the results of continuous FHR monitoring during electroconvulsive therapy. The most common finding was a transient, self-resolving bradycardia that was not associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. This supports the opinion that electroconvulsive therapy is a safe treatment option in pregnancy in women with severe mental disease.

Buprenorphine Medication for Opioid Use Disorder: A Study of Factors Associated With Postpartum Treatment Retention.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The factors associated with medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment retention among pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD) are largely unknown. This study sought to characterize factors associated with postpartum treatment retention. METHODS: A retrospective chart review from 2014 to 2017 was conducted among women with OUD in pregnancy treated with buprenorphine. Women were assigned to the treatment retention group if they attended an appointment within 10 to 14 weeks postpartum. Others were assigned to the dropout group. The groups were compared using bivariate analysis for sociodemographic variables, obstetrical and neonatal outcomes, clinical and subjective opioid withdrawal symptoms, buprenorphine dosage, urine drug toxicology (UDT) results, and other factors. RESULTS: A total of 64 pregnancies received treatment until delivery, and 47 (73.1%) were retained in treatment by 12 weeks postpartum. The treatment dropout group had lower buprenorphine doses at delivery, a higher percentage of benzodiazepine positive UDT, and number of UDT positive for benzodiazepine in the third trimester. Breastfeeding rates were higher in the treatment retention group. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Future research of variables related to postpartum treatment retention is needed to provide guidelines regarding MOUD during the perinatal period and to optimize maternal and fetal well-being. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: This study supports previous recommendations that aggressive treatment of withdrawal symptoms in pregnant women with OUD is needed to maximize treatment retention. This is the first study to find that breastfeeding was associated with postpartum treatment retention; while, increased use of benzodiazepines during pregnancy was associated with postpartum treatment dropout. (Am J Addict 2021;30:43-48).

Drug screening during pregnancy: Urine dip cups measure up.

BACKGROUND: Substance use during pregnancy is a major medical and public health concern. Determination of the most appropriate screening protocol remains a clinical conundrum. Interviews and/or laboratory drug screens may be costly, inaccurate, and are frequently inadequate to identify patterns of substance use for a given population or geographic area. We compared commercially available urine "dip cup" toxicology screens obtained in the clinic to university hospital drug toxicology results. METHODS: 267 observed urine samples were collected from pregnant women with known substance use disorders enrolled in a specialized treatment program that included access to buprenorphine medication-assisted treatment. Each urine sample was tested by commercial dip cup with temperature confirmation and then sent to the university hospital laboratory for analyses. The number of substances detected and cost for each screening method were compared. RESULTS: Uniformly, the dip cup had comparable detection of amphetamines, barbiturates, cocaine, methadone, opiates, and tetrahydrocannabinol to the university hospital laboratory with the exception of benzodiazepines. In addition, the dip cup detected use of buprenorphine (a commonly misused opiate receptor ligand not included in the hospital screen) and was significantly less expensive. CONCLUSIONS: Commercially available urine dip cups are cost-effective, equally comparable to hospital based screening, and provide 'real time' results germane to clinical care and treatment planning.

Magnetocardiographic identification of prolonged fetal corrected QT interval in women receiving treatment for opioid use disorder.

AIM: Pregnant women undergoing treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) may be exposed to multiple QT prolonging agents. We used magnetocardiography to measure fetal QT intervals in mothers with OUD on buprenorphine therapy. METHODS: Fetal and maternal magnetocardiography was performed in pregnant women receiving buprenorphine-assisted treatment (Disorder group); these were matched by gestational age to pregnant women who were opiate naïve (Reference group). Corrected QT intervals were determined using Bazett's formula and compared between groups. RESULTS: A total of eight women in the Disorder group matched to eight in the Reference group. Seven of the mothers (88%) in the Disorder group were smokers; there were no smokers in the Reference group. The average fetal corrected QT was significantly longer (P = 0.022) in the Disorder group than that in the Reference group (505 milliseconds [ms] ± 68.6 [standard deviation] vs 383 ms ± 70.3 [standard deviation]). CONCLUSION: Novel data from this small sample demonstrate prolongation of fetal corrected QT in women with OUD participating in buprenorphine assisted therapy. Additional investigation from a larger sample is needed to clarify if fetal buprenorphine and/or tobacco exposure is associated with changes in fetal QT which would warrant further prenatal and postnatal testing.

Buprenorphine medication-assisted treatment during pregnancy: An exploratory factor analysis associated with adherence.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of pregnant women with opioid use disorder is challenging due to the myriad of physical, mental, and social complications. Factors influencing adherence to buprenorphine during pregnancy have not been identified. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pregnant women with opioid use disorder followed in a tertiary clinic were included in a retrospective chart review from buprenorphine induction through delivery. All women who had been evaluated and treated with buprenorphine from January 1, 2014, to September 31, 2016, were included. Adherence was defined as follows: 1) adherent: attended follow up visits, negative urine toxicology screens, and phase advancement; 2) moderately adherent: attended follow up visits until delivery, had not completed six negative urine toxicology screens, or had positive urine toxicology screens (i.e., no phase advancement); 3) non-adherent: missed follow up visits and did not stay in treatment until delivery. Sociodemographic characteristics, family psychiatric history, current and lifetime psychiatric and childhood trauma along with treatment factors were compared by category of adherence. RESULTS: 64 women met criteria for inclusion in this study with 41 (64%) adherent; eight (13%) moderately adherent; and 15 (23%) non-adherent. In the non-adherent group compared to the adherent group, the clinician-rated opioid withdrawal scale score was significantly higher, and the daily buprenorphine dose at last visit was significantly lower. CONCLUSIONS: Women who were non-adherent to buprenorphine during pregnancy had higher severity of opioid withdrawal symptoms and lower doses of buprenorphine. These findings should be further explored with the goal of optimizing care without increasing risk for neonates.

Fetal assessment in buprenorphine-maintained women using fetal magnetoencephalography: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In-utero exposure to opioids including buprenorphine (BUP) has been shown to affect fetal activity, specifically heart-rate variability (FHRV) and fetal movement (FM). Our objective was to extract simultaneous recordings of fetal cardiac and brain-related activity in BUP-maintained and non-opioid exposed pregnant women using a novel non-invasive biomagnetic technique. DESIGN: A pilot study was conducted, recording and analyzing biomagnetic data from fetuses of BUP-maintained and non-opioid exposed pregnant women. Signals were acquired with the non-invasive 151-channel SARA (SQUID-Array for Reproductive Assessment) system. Advanced signal-processing techniques were applied to extract fetal heart and brain activity. SETTING: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA). PARTICIPANTS: Eight BUP-maintained pregnant women from UAMS Women's Mental Health Program between gestational ages (GA) of 29-37 weeks who were treated with 8-24 mg of BUP daily. Sixteen pregnant women with no known opioid exposure in the same GA range were also included. MEASUREMENTS: Outcome measures from the fetal heart and brain signals included: heart rate (FHR), FM, FHR accelerations, FHR-FM coupling, FHRV, fetal behavioral states (FBS) and power spectral density (PSD) of spontaneous brain activity. These measures were analyzed at three GA intervals. FINDINGS: Fetal heart and brain activity parameters were extracted and quantified successfully from 18 non-opioid and 16 BUP recordings. Overall analysis in both groups show that: FHR and FM ranged from 131 to 141 beats per minute (b.p.m.) and 5 to 11 counts, respectively. In the 35-37 weeks GA, the coupling duration (~9 s) was the shortest, while three of the FHRV parameters were the highest. The PSD of brain activity revealed highest power in 0.5-4 Hz bandwidth. Transitions in FBS from quiet to active sleep were > 50% of sessions. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study showed that a novel biomagnetic technique allows simultaneous quantification of cardiac and brain activities of a group of buprenorphine-exposed and non-exposed fetuses in the third trimester.

Rating scale item assessment of self-harm in postpartum women: a cross-sectional analysis.

We examined the utility of screening instruments to identify risk factors for suicidal ideation (SI) in a population of women with neuropsychiatric illnesses at high risk for postpartum depression. Pregnant women with neuropsychiatric illness enrolled prior to 20 weeks of gestation. Follow-up visits at 4-8-week intervals through 13 weeks postpartum included assessment of depressive symptoms with both clinician and self-rated scales. A total of 842 women were included in the study. Up to 22.3% of postpartum women admitted SI on rating scales, despite the majority (79%) receiving active pharmacological treatment for psychiatric illness. Postpartum women admitting self-harm/SI were more likely to meet criteria for current major depressive episode (MDE), less than college education, an unplanned pregnancy, a history of past suicide attempt, and a higher score on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. In women with a history of neuropsychiatric illness, over 20% admitted SI during the postpartum period despite ongoing psychiatric treatment. Patient-rated depression scales are more sensitive screening tools than a clinician-rated depression scale for +SI in the postpartum period.