Loneliness leads to risk of mental health issues during pregnancy: Study

Depression is common during the perinatal period, affecting one in every six pregnant women and one in every five women during the first three months after birth, and it can have a significant impact on new parents' quality of life as well as long-term negative effects on their child's cognitive and emotional development.

Hyderabad:According to a recent study conducted by UCL experts, loneliness frequently causes depression in expecting and new mothers. Researchers discovered that those who interact with expectant mothers, such as in antenatal classes or consultations, should be aware of the importance of loneliness and the importance of encouraging new moms to form and maintain healthy social relationships. More family and medical support, according to the study, may be beneficial in reducing the negative effects of loneliness on mental health.

The meta-synthesis (an evidence review using a systematic method) of qualitative research, published in BMC Psychiatry, drew together accounts from 537 women from 27 research papers from four continents.

Lead author Dr Katherine Adlington (UCL Psychiatry and East London NHS Foundation Trust) said: We found that loneliness was central to the experiences of expectant and new mothers with depression. We know that depression and loneliness are frequently linked - one can lead to the other - and that this may be especially true for perinatal depression.

Depression is common during the perinatal period, affecting one in every six pregnant women and one in every five women during the first three months after birth, and it can have a significant impact on new parents' quality of life as well as long-term negative effects on their child's cognitive and emotional development.

Peer, social, and family support are likely to be important in reducing perinatal depression; this study helps understand the importance of social connection at this time, but much more research is needed to understand why loneliness is so important in the perinatal period, and to develop effective ways of preventing or reducing it.