McMaster researchers receive over $73,000 to study mental health and pregnancy

A team of researchers from McMaster University, the University of Toronto and McGill University have been awarded over $73,000 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to study mental illness among individuals who have experienced severe complications during childbirth.

The study will be an extension of the work being undertaken as part of the SERENE project.

Perinatal mental illness, which includes conditions like depression and anxiety during and after pregnancy, affects up to one in five new parents.

These illnesses not only lead to significant emotional distress and difficulty in daily functioning for those affected but can also pose risks to the child’s long-term well-being, explains Guilia Muraca, Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

“Our objective is to understand how often individuals face mental health challenges after experiencing severe maternal morbidity (SMM) – unexpected and serious complications during and after pregnancy, such as severe bleeding and organ failure,” she says.

Alongside Muraca, the research team consists of Hilary Brown (U of T), Rohan D’Souza (McMaster), Isabelle Malhame (McGill) and Ryan Van Lieshout (McMaster).

The team will gather information from Ontario health records to examine how mental illnesses manifest and vary among those who did and did not experienced SMM during childbirth, and measure how mental illnesses may differ among those who experienced different types of SMM.

“These findings can lead to the development of health care services that address the unique mental health needs of people who have experienced severe childbirth complications, resulting in better outcomes for birthing individuals, infants, and families,” says Rohan D’Souza, Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.