OUR RESEARCH
Perinatal Anxiety Screening

Pregnancy and new motherhood is an exciting time in a woman’s life, but it can also be demanding and anxiety-provoking. Although quite a bit is known about postpartum depression, much less is known about postpartum anxiety problems. We think this is an important area to study as anxiety disorders are the most common of all psychiatric problems and affect almost twice as many women as men.

The purpose of this study is to find out how common problems of anxiety are among pregnant and postpartum women. This collaborative project is being carried out by researchers in the UBC Departments of Psychiatry, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and Health Care & Epidemiology.

Pregnant women are eligible to participate.

Participation in this project involves the completion of several sets of questionnaires (up to four). Each set takes 45-60 minutes of your time.

A subset of our participants who live in Vancouver will be asked to participate in an interview. The interview will take place in your home (unless you prefer to come to our lab at BC Women’s Hospital) and takes 1-2 hours of your time. Questionnaires and interviews ask about feelings of anxiety, depression, stress, overall and social wellbeing, and mental health service use.

Each participant will have a 1 in 30 chance to win a $25 gift certificate to a Children’s clothing store accessible throughout B.C. Participants who take part in the interview will also be given $20 at the time of their interview. Participants who return their final questionnaire package will have an additional 1 in 30 chance to win a $25 gift certificate to a Children’s clothing store accessible throughout B.C.

If you think you might be interested, or would just like more information, please contact us at (604) 875-2424 ext. 4990 or email us info@motherinfantwellness.ca. We look forward to hearing from you!

Consent Form

Informed Consent Form The Perinatal Anxiety Screening Study: Part I

Purpose:We know that about 12% of new mothers suffer from an episode of clinical depression. We also know that problems with anxiety are more common than depression and affect women more often than men. We do not, however, know how common feelings of anxiety and anxiety disorders are among pregnant women and new mothers. This is the primary objective of this research. A second goal of the research is to find out if screening for depression is sufficient to detect most women who are suffering from problems with anxiety during pregnancy or early motherhood, or if additional measures might be needed.

Study Procedures: Participation in this research involves the completion of several sets of questionnaires (up to four) and, for a subset of participants, an in-person interview.

Questionnaires: If you agree to participate in this study, you will be asked to complete several sets of questionnaires beginning in pregnancy and ending when your baby is 6 months old.

Prenatal 1 (early):If you join the study prior to 24 weeks of your pregnancy, you will be offered the opportunity to complete a set of questionnaires at approximately 24 weeks

Prenatal 2 (late):: All participants will be asked to complete a set of questionnaires when they are between 32 and 34 weeks of their pregnancy.

Postpartum 1: When your baby is 4-6 weeks old, you will be asked to complete the first of 2 sets of postpartum questionnaires. We will contact you (by telephone or email) near your due date to check in with you about your baby’s date of birth. This will allow us to send you the second set of questionnaires at the right time.

Postpartum 2: You will be asked to complete a final set of questionnaires when your baby is six months old.

In-person Interview: If you live in the city of Vancouver, you may also be invited to participate in an in-person interview. The interview takes place when your baby is between 6 and 8 weeks of age, and will be conducted in person in your home (unless you would prefer to come to our research lab at BC Women’s Hospital). A subset of our Vancouver resident participants will be invited to participate in the interview.

Questionnaires: All four sets of questionnaires ask you about aspects of depression and anxiety you may be experiencing. Each set of questionnaires requires between 45 and 60 minutes of your time.

Prenatal (early & late):In addition to aspects of your mood and overall well-being, these first sets of questionnaires also ask you about (1) your reproductive history (e.g., prior pregnancies, pregnancy losses, children you have), (2) pregnancy-related stress, and (5) social well-being.

Postpartum 1:In this first set of postpartum questionnaires, in addition to questions about your mood and overall well-being, we also ask about the birth of your baby, and social well-being.

Postpartum 2:In the final set of questionnaires, you are again asked about your mood, overall wellbeing, and social wellbeing, as well as any mental health care you may have received since the birth of your baby.

Interview: The interview is a diagnostic interview that assesses mood and anxiety disorders. We do not expect that everyone who completes the interview will meet criteria for one of these disorders. However, all women who participate in the interview portion of the study will be given feedback about their responses. Women who do meet criteria for one of the emotional problems we are assessing will be given referral recommendations specific to their particular concerns. The interview will require between 1-2 hours of your time.

Are there any benefits to taking part in the study? The results of the study will help us to learn more about how common symptoms of anxiety and anxiety disorders are among pregnant women and new mothers as well as to determine if additional screening measures (beyond screening for depression alone) are needed to identify women suffering from problems with anxiety during pregnancy and early motherhood.

What are the risks of taking part in this research? The study questionnaires ask about feelings of anxiety and depression. For people who are experiencing feelings of anxiety and/or depression, completing the study questionnaires may draw their attention to their symptoms and heighten those feelings slightly while they are completing the questionnaires. Some women may find this experience unpleasant or distressing. We encourage you not to answer any question you do not wish to answer.

Appreciation: All women who participate in the research will be given the chance to receive a $25 gift certificate to a children’s clothing store. Every 30 new participants to the study will be entered into this draw, and the winner will be given one of the $25 gift certificates. A second draw, for a $25 gift certificate to a children’s clothing store, will be conducted for every 30 participants who complete the final postpartum questionnaire package. Women who participate in the in-person interview will be sent an additional $20 following the interview. All participants will be given a summary of our research findings upon completion of the study and an information sheet about perinatal anxiety disorders.

Confidentiality: All results are kept strictly confidential. The information we collect is identified with a randomly generated numerical code only, not by name. What this means is that only your data code appears on your interview and questionnaire responses. All identifying information (e.g., this consent form) is coded and stored separately in a locked filing cabinet. Any information connecting you to your data will be destroyed once your participation in the study has ended. Access to the data is restricted to project team members (Drs. Fairbrother, Young, Janssen, Antony, and von Dadelszen, the project interviewers, and project research assistants). Any publications of these data will present information for all participants as a group, so that no single person’s data will be separated from the rest of the participants.

Please feel free to take as long as you wish to decide if you would like to participate and to ask us any questions you have about the study. Some questions about the purpose of the study might be deferred until after you have finished participating.

Contact: If you have any questions or desire further information with respect to this study, you may contact Dr. Fairbrother at (604) 875-2424 Local 4990, Dr. Janssen at (604) 875-2424 Local 5415, Dr. Young at (604) 827-3685, Dr. von Dadelszen at (604) 875-2021, or Dr. Antony at (416) 979-5000 Local 2631.

If you have any concerns about your treatment or rights as a research participant, you may contact the Research Subject Information Line in the UBC Office of Research Services (604-822-8598).

Consent: Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary and you may refuse to participate or withdraw from the study at any time without penalty of any kind. Refusing to participate, or withdrawing from the study, will not affect the services you may receive in any setting in which you heard about this study (such as your doctor’s office or a drop-in centre).

Please take your time in reviewing this document. We encourage you to discuss any concerns you may have with us.

Your signature indicates that you have received a copy of this consent form for your own records.

Your signature indicates that you consent to participate in this study, but it does not waive any of your legal rights.

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