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Psychological Affliction in Pregnancy, Delivery and Postpartum Period: A Multidisciplinary Approach

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 24 July 2026 | Viewed by 960

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Beata Pięta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Practical Midwifery Science Faculty, Department of Mother and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-535 Poznań, Poland
Interests: breast cancer management; gynecology; pregnancy; woman; midwifery; maternal health; breastfeeding; perinatal psychology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Edyta Barnas̈

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Health Sciences and Psychology, Medical College, University of Rzeszow, Rzeszow, Poland
Interests: women's health; gynecology; obstetrics; quality of life; gynecological cancers

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period are critical life stages that may be accompanied by significant psychological afflictions. These conditions—including perinatal anxiety, depression, stress-related disorders, and post-traumatic stress after childbirth—not only affect maternal health but also influence neonatal outcomes and family wellbeing. Despite growing recognition of these issues, perinatal psychological morbidity remains underdiagnosed and undertreated in many healthcare systems.

This Special Issue aims to bring together multidisciplinary perspectives on the psychological challenges associated with pregnancy and delivery, highlighting preventive strategies, early detection, and innovative models of care. We invite contributions from midwives, obstetricians, psychologists, psychiatrists, neonatologists, and public health experts to promote a holistic approach to maternal mental health. Original research and systematic reviews are welcome. 

Dr. Beata Pięta
Prof. Dr. Edyta Barnas̈
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • maternal mental health
  • pregnancy
  • postpartum depression
  • perinatal anxiety
  • midwifery
  • multidisciplinary care

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 688 KB  
Article
Adaptation and Validation of the “Support and Control in Birth” (SCIB) Tool in Postpartum Spanish Women
by Sergio Martínez-Vázquez, Rocío Adriana Peinado-Molina, Leticia Molina-García, Antonio Hernández-Martínez and Juan Miguel Martínez-Galiano
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(7), 2495; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15072495 - 24 Mar 2026
Viewed by 320
Abstract
Background: Maternal control and the sense of support significantly influence a woman’s experience of birth. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Support and Control in Birth (SCIB) scale in Spanish women to assess maternal perceptions of support and control during birth, [...] Read more.
Background: Maternal control and the sense of support significantly influence a woman’s experience of birth. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Support and Control in Birth (SCIB) scale in Spanish women to assess maternal perceptions of support and control during birth, and to develop and validate an abbreviated version of the instrument. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 302 Spanish women who had given birth within the previous 6 months and were at least 1 week postpartum. Content, construct, and criterion validity, as well as reliability, were analysed using an expert panel, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient, and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Criterion validity was assessed using the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7) and the Birth Satisfaction Scale–Revised (BSS-R). Results: The KMO test yielded a value of 0.925, and Bartlett’s test of sphericity was significant (p < 0.001). EFA identified three factors (Support, External control, and Internal control) that explained 56.49% of the total variance. CFA showed good model fit for most of the evaluated indices. The SCIB scale correlated negatively with the GAD-7 and positively with the BSS-R (p < 0.001), as well as with several obstetric and neonatal variables (p < 0.05): planned pregnancy, high-risk pregnancy, onset and type of delivery, birth plan, use of epidural analgesia, maternal involvement, postpartum complications, and newborn characteristics. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.951, and the ICC indicated excellent consistency and agreement (0.995; 95% CI: 0.990–0.998). Based on expert panel consensus, a 24-item abbreviated version was developed that exhibited psychometric properties similar to those of the original version and a high correlation with it (r > 0.90). Conclusions: The Support and Control in Birth (SCIB) scale is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing perceptions of support and control during birth in Spanish women. The 24-item abbreviated version is recommended. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychological Affliction in Pregnancy, Delivery and Postpartum Period: A Multidisciplinary Approach)
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12 pages, 251 KB  
Article
Perinatal Mood Disorders in Polish Women: A Cross-Sectional Study
by Mariola Mróz, Agnieszka Marcewicz, Malwina Rezwow, Kamila Ciastek-Majtyka, Mateusz Cybulski, Grażyna Iwanowicz-Palus and Beata Pięta
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(5), 2067; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15052067 - 9 Mar 2026
Viewed by 286
Abstract
Background: Mood disorders such as postpartum blues, anxiety disorders, perinatal depression and posttraumatic stress disorder are common and can take various forms. For this reason, the assessment of emotional disorders and quality of life in women should be an integral part of [...] Read more.
Background: Mood disorders such as postpartum blues, anxiety disorders, perinatal depression and posttraumatic stress disorder are common and can take various forms. For this reason, the assessment of emotional disorders and quality of life in women should be an integral part of health monitoring, and this was therefore adopted as the aim of the present study. Methods: The study was conducted using a diagnostic survey with questionnaires based on the authors’ survey, the SF-36, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 women in Poland, including 172 pregnant and 228 postpartum women. Results: Negative correlations were found between the PHQ-9 and SF-36 in pregnant and postpartum women. Selected obstetric factors were shown to significantly influence SF-36 and PHQ-9 scores (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The risk of mood disorders is associated with the duration of attempts to conceive, the course of pregnancy, and the number of hospitalizations. The presence of depressive symptoms affects the quality of life of women during the perinatal period. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychological Affliction in Pregnancy, Delivery and Postpartum Period: A Multidisciplinary Approach)
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