Results of new research reveal that mothers who give birth prematurely and do not receive any psychological help are five times susceptible to depression, which could last up to eight years. Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital conducted a study that compared data gathered from mothers and babies who received therapy versus those who received no care at all.
The first group had at least nine visits from psychologists and physiotherapist while the second group never saw a specialist after child birth. According to ABC, results reveal that almost 27 percent of mothers who delivered their babies prematurely and did not receive any intervention suffer from symptoms of depression. A whopping 42 percent display indications of anxiety.
According to lead researcher and associate professor Alicia Spittle from the Royal Women's Hospital and the University of Melbourne, the statistics are surprisingly high. The level of depression and anxiety is alarming and providing support and intervention is a must.
On the other hand, results reveal a significant drop in the anxiety and depression rates among women who received psychological help. Only 5 percent of the mothers who received intervention displayed signs of depression while 22 percent were associated with anxiety indicators.
According to JAMA Network, intervention programs should provide support to the relationship of the mother and her premature baby. It can be expected that a baby's bond with his mother can be affected by spending months in the hospital after being born ahead of schedule.
Dr. Spittle says mothers often miss opportunities to attend psychological support groups due to the critical situation of their premature babies. Of course, when a mother worries for her baby who might get an infection or catch a virus, she would rather stay at home and worry. This makes them vulnerable to depression and anxiety.
Mental health care professionals encourage mothers to seek intervention. The reason? No matter how trivial the matter may seem, it is proven to have long-term differences.
