Beyond Blue PND Study

[Justine Caines]

Title: Beyond Blue PND Study

Hi All

You may have heard of the new PND study that is to be undertaken by Beyond Blue (Jeff Kennett's little baby!)  Following is info from their site.  The survey seems finalised but I think it would still be worthwhile writing to them and quizzing them on their research as to what women will be questioned about etc and the relationship between birth trauma and PND.  As a member of Maternity Coalition I have offered to put something together but I was hoping for some help with any research.  I'm not too sure there's been much done but am especially interested in any links between birth trauma and type of care in birth and PND.
The website is www.beyondblue.org.au/site/ and the following gives a specific contact at Beyond Blue.  

In Birthing Solidarity

Justine Caines
Maternity Coalition - ACT Branch

Depression prevention programs

Post natal depression project
Although bringing a new baby into the family is generally a joyous experience, for many women the adjustment is not pleasant. For many women, childbirth is preceded or proceeded by the experience of depression and/or anxiety. In fact, postnatal depression (PND) affects around 14% of women giving birth in Australia. Not only does PND affect the mother directly in terms of emotions and ability to cope with the demands of a newborn, but it can also impact greatly on the whole family.
Like depression that can be experienced outside of the postnatal period, PND can be treated. However, despite the high levels of contact with health professionals around this time, often PND is not detected. Without detection, PND is likely to persist, and over time can have negative consequences on emotional wellbeing for all family members, and in some cases may impact on child development.
Thus the nature of PND points to the strong need to identify PND early. Early detection means that effective treatments can be provided, ultimately reducing the negative experience and impact on a family.
In response to this, 'beyondblue' is sponsoring a large four-year program across five states, which has been designed to increase detection of PND, and evaluate the effectiveness of a range of early intervention procedures. Overall, the program will enable us to evaluate ways of increasing awareness and management of PND.
First, the program is designed to increase awareness of and about PND both in the community at large and amongst health professionals. Second, the project will evaluate a number of different types of early interventions in an attempt to identify how PND can be most effectively managed. In particular, the study will examine four specific interventions across the country, namely: interventions with couples (Western Australia); for partners (South Australia); for mothers and children (Victoria); those with Non English Speaking Backgrounds (NSW); and, those involving the midwife, Maternal and Child Health Nurse, and GP (Queensland).
In the design of this large-scale study, special consideration has also been given to addressing issues for Indigenous, rural and non-English speaking women. In particular the study seeks to identify what interventions or approaches are most important to address areas of specific need in these population groups.
If you would like any further information about this project or postnatal depression in general, please feel free to contact Dr. Nicole Highet at 'beyondblue' on [EMAIL PROTECTED]. Nicole is a Doctor of Psychology and has specialised in this area in both a clinical and research capacity.