Objective: This pilot study investigated the effectiveness of brief EMDR intervention as compared to treatment-as-usual (TAU) in women with post-partum PTSD symptoms. Design:A pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate possible differences between one EMDR session (n=19) and one TAU session (n=18) delivered in a maternity ward in the aftermath of childbirth. Main Outcome Measures:The primary outcome measure was the rate of remission of post-partum post-traumatic stress symptoms (i.e. IES-R score <23) in both groups at 6-weeks (T1) and 12-weeks post-partum (T2). Secondary outcome measures were mother-to-infant bonding, post-partum depressive symptoms, presence of flashbacks and level of distress.Results: Most of the women improved their post-partum post-traumatic stress symptoms after only one treatment session. EMDR resulted more effective than TAU in reducing the proportion of women with post-partum post-traumatic stress symptoms at six-weeks post-partum (78.9% EMDR vs. 39.9% TAU; p=.020). Moreover, women treated with EMDR experienced less flashbacks and distress as compared to TAU. No significant difference was found between treatments on motherto-infant bonding and post-partum depressive symptoms. 4Conclusions: These findings, although preliminary, suggest that a brief EMDR intervention could be a viable and promising tool in the early treatment of post-traumatic stress related to traumatic childbirth.

<p><strong>Background:</strong> Literature shows that the birth of a child is a vulnerability moment for the mental well-being of both parents.</p><p><strong>Objectives:</strong> estimate the prevalence of a depressive symptomatology in an Italian sample of new fathers during the first six months postpartum and provide its association with maternal mood.</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> 244 neo- parents filled the Italian version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and a General Information Questionnaire between 2/5 days after delivery during the hospitalization in the Mother-infant Department of an Italian hospital and after 2 and 6 months postpartum by mailed.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> in the first week postpartum, 6.65% of fathers had a EPDS score ≥ 10, this percentage decreases to 2.63% at 2 months and 2.59% at 6 months postpartum. Previous history of anxiety/panic attacks in fathers was a risk factor for a depressive symptomatology of them after 2 and 6 months postpartum. Paternal and maternal depressive mood were correlated most of the times and associated especially after births when a depressed father is more than 5 time frequently associated to a depressed mother 2 months later.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> experimental data suggest that neo-fathers experiment depressive symptoms especially in the immediate postpartum when their mood is associated with maternal mood in a significant way. Health care professionals should pay great attention to the neo-parental couple mood.</p>

Background: Becoming a mother for the first time is a significant developmental transition and postpartum mood disorders represents the most frequent form of maternal morbidity following delivery.Objective: To investigate the ability of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) to detect, in the first days postpartum, mothers at risk of developing depressive symptomatology over time.Results: The percentage of mothers with an EPDS score ≥10 decreases over time: 23.77% at 2/5 days postpartum, 15.57% at 2 months and 9.02% at 6 months after delivery. Among mothers with a depressive symptomatology after 2/5 days postpartum, 41.38% maintained an EPDS score ≥10 at 2 months too, while 20.69% of them manifested depressive symptoms at 6 months as well. Both correlation and linear regression showed a significant association between EPDS scores in all three administrations of the study but EPDS score at 2/5 days postpartum is more associated and predictive to maternal mood at two months than at six months postpartum.Method: A longitudinal study was conducting on 122 primiparous mothers who filled out EPDS and a General Information Questionnaire at 2/5 days postpartum, at 2/3 and 6/7 months after delivery. Women with high EPDS scores (≥10) were compared to those who had scored <10 in all the three steps and longitudinal analysis were conducted.Conclusion: Implementing EPDS in the first week postpartum allows identifying women at high risk to maintain depressive symptoms over time. These findings could be useful for health care interventions after delivery and for researchers involved in the study of transcultural aspects of postnatal depression.

Breastfeeding is one of the main manifestations of the bond that a mother builds with her newborn baby. Literature on psychological support for mothers in the early stages of breastfeeding is limited and interventions often do not pinpoint the actual roots of the difficulties. Breastfeeding difficulties may cause emotional distress to women and this can impact significantly on bonding and the perinatal period may turn into a state of crisis. Therefore, it is essential for the clinical psychologist to intervene selectively and in a prompt, effective way, especially when working in a maternity ward. This article suggests a model of intervention: the Breastfeeding and Bonding EMDR Protocol. This protocol, created ad hoc for breastfeeding, combines the work with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) on recent events, the standard protocol and the installation of resources. The hospital case study presented here thoroughly illustrates the various stages of the protocol and the peculiarity and functionality of EMDR regarding breastfeeding and bonding issues in the immediate postpartum period. Prevention is the paramount subject of the model of clinical intervention on breastfeeding hereafter presented.

No abstract