Maternal Mental Health

The review defined the perinatal period as one year before birth through 24 months after birth. Partners and paternal mental health were rarely included in the reviewed VR studies. Maternal depression will be measured using EPDS total scores. Maternal anxiety and perceived stress will be measured with GAD-7 and PSS-10 respectively. Mental health and physical function are presented as bidirectionally related. Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy and postpartum is associated with poorer child cognitive, behavioral, and social-emotional outcomes. Perinatal mental health difficulties can affect parents, partners, infants, and family functioning. Untreated maternal and paternal mood disorders can cause long-term harm for parents, children, and families. Maternal distress during pregnancy is associated with emotional vulnerability and parenting stress at 3 and 6 months postpartum. Mild and moderate anxiety independently predicted antenatal functional impairment. Treatment options for perinatal mood disorders include psychotherapy, medication, wellbeing interventions, systems supports, and digital health approaches.