The Brabant study: design of a large prospective perinatal cohort study among pregnant women investigating obstetric outcome from a biopsychosocial perspective

Meems, Margreet; Hulsbosch, Lianne P.; Riem, Madelon M E; Meyers, Christina A.; Pronk, Tila; Broeren, Maarten A. C.; Nabbe, Karin C.; Oei, Guid; Bogaerts, Stefan; Pop, Victor J.M.

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-038891

Cited by 19 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…The second and third group that were used as reference groups for the first group, consisted of pregnant women already participating in a large, ongoing prospective longitudinal cohort study being carried out in the southeast of the Netherlands: the Brabant study [ 26 ]. At pretest, the OC group was compared to these reference groups: a COVID-19 reference group ( N = 209), and a pre-COVID-19 reference group ( N = 297).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementing “Online Communities” for pregnant women in times of COVID-19 for the promotion of maternal well-being and mother-to-infant bonding: a pretest–posttest study

Potharst

Schaeffer

Gunning³

et al. 2022

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic elevated the risk for mental health problems in pregnant women, thereby increasing the risk for long-term negative consequences for mother and child well-being. There was an immediate need for easily accessible interventions for pregnant women experiencing elevated levels of pandemic related stress. Methods A three-session intervention “Online Communities” (OC) was developed at the beginning of the Dutch lockdown, and implemented by a team of midwives and psychologists specialized in Infant Mental Health. Pretest (N = 34) and posttest (N = 17) measurements of depressive symptoms, worries about COVID-19 and worries in general, and mother-to-infant bonding were administered, as well as a posttest evaluation. Results At pretest, the OC group was compared to two reference groups of pregnant women from an ongoing pregnancy cohort study: a COVID-19 (N = 209) and pre-COVID-19 reference group (N = 297). OC participants had significantly more depressive symptoms than both reference groups, and less positive feelings of bonding than the COVID-19 but not the pre-COVID-19 reference group. Compared to pretest, significant decreases in depressive symptoms (with significantly less participants scoring above cut-off) and worries about COVID-19 (large effect sizes) and worries in general (moderate to large effect size) were found at posttest for the OC participants. No significant improvement was found in bonding. Participants rated the intervention positively. Conclusions The current study provides initial evidence supporting the idea that OC is a promising and readily accessible intervention for pregnant women experiencing stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and possibly also applicable to other stressors. Trial registration This intervention was registered in the Netherlands Trial Registration (registration number Trial NL8842, registration date 18/08/2020).

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementing “Online Communities” for pregnant women in times of COVID-19 for the promotion of maternal well-being and mother-to-infant bonding: a pretest–posttest study

Potharst

Schaeffer

Gunning³

et al. 2022

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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“…The current study is part of a longitudinal prospective cohort study (the Brabant Study) (Meems et al 2020 ) among pregnant women who are followed from 12 weeks pregnancy until 10 weeks postpartum. Eligible pregnant women were recruited by community midwife practices and hospitals in Brabant, the Netherlands.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After a pilot in 2018 (started 13 May 2018), recruitment started on 7 January 2019 and is still ongoing. Details on the design of the Brabant Study are described elsewhere (Meems et al 2020 ). In short, Dutch pregnant women (18 + years) who had their first antenatal visit before 14 weeks of gestation were eligible for participation.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The COVID-19 outbreak increases maternal stress during pregnancy, but not the risk for postpartum depression

Boekhorst

Muskens

Hulsbosch

et al. 2021

Arch Womens Ment Health

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The COVID-19 pandemic affects society and may especially have an impact on mental health of vulnerable groups, such as perinatal women. This prospective cohort study of 669 participating women in the Netherlands compared perinatal symptoms of depression and stress during and before the pandemic. After a pilot in 2018, recruitment started on 7 January 2019. Up until 1 March 2020 (before the pandemic), 401 women completed questionnaires during pregnancy, of whom 250 also completed postpartum assessment. During the pandemic, 268 women filled out at least one questionnaire during pregnancy and 59 postpartum (1 March–14 May 2020). Pregnancy-specific stress increased significantly in women during the pandemic. We found no increase in depressive symptoms during pregnancy nor an increase in incidence of high levels of postpartum depressive symptoms during the pandemic. Clinicians should be aware of the potential for increased stress in pregnant women during the pandemic.

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“…The current study is part of the Brabant Study, a large longitudinal cohort study following women from 12 weeks of pregnancy until eight to ten weeks postpartum (see Meems et al (2020) for the design of the study). The study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee at the Máxima Medical Centre Veldhoven (L64091.015.17).…”

Section: Participants and Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of the COVID-19 Perinatal Perception Questionnaire (COVID19-PPQ)

Hulsbosch

Boekhorst

Muskens

et al. 2021

J Psychopathol Behav Assess

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The COVID-19 pandemic affects the mental health status of perinatal women, which makes it important to gain insight into and to effectively measure specific stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we aimed to develop a COVID-19 Perinatal Perception Questionnaire (COVID19-PPQ). In-depth interviews were conducted during the first national lockdown period with pregnant women, new mothers and perinatal healthcare professionals, resulting in (a) a 27-item pregnancy and (b) a 21-item postpartum scale. Explorative factor analyses (EFA) in sample Ia (N = 154) and Ib (N = 90), and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) in sample IIa (N = 113) and IIb (N = 81) were conducted to test the psychometric properties of both scales. For the pregnancy scale, EFA suggested a three-factor solution (risk of infection, contact, future), which was confirmed by CFA and resulted in a final nine-item scale. For the postpartum scale, a three-factor solution (first postpartum week, COVID-19 measures, fear for infection) was suggested by EFA and confirmed by CFA, resulting in a final ten-item scale. Symptoms of depression and pregnancy-specific distress were significantly correlated with the pregnancy (sub)scale(s), while symptoms of postpartum depression and anxiety showed significant correlations with the COVID-19 measures and fear for infection subscale. The COVID19-PPQ seems to be a valid instrument for assessment of perinatal COVID-19-related stress perception, showing adequate psychometric properties for both the pregnancy and postpartum scale. Future research should examine the use of this instrument in clinical practice during new episodes of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Brabant study: design of a large prospective perinatal cohort study among pregnant women investigating obstetric outcome from a biopsychosocial perspective

Cited by 19 publications

References 70 publications

Implementing “Online Communities” for pregnant women in times of COVID-19 for the promotion of maternal well-being and mother-to-infant bonding: a pretest–posttest study

Implementing “Online Communities” for pregnant women in times of COVID-19 for the promotion of maternal well-being and mother-to-infant bonding: a pretest–posttest study

The COVID-19 outbreak increases maternal stress during pregnancy, but not the risk for postpartum depression

Development of the COVID-19 Perinatal Perception Questionnaire (COVID19-PPQ)

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