Climate Change is an Emerging Threat to Perinatal Mental Health.
Jennifer L Barkin, Rebecca P Philipsborn, Carolann L Curry and 8 others
PMID 36482670WHAT IT FOUND
Perinatal women exposed to extreme weather reported fears and were more likely to have depression, anxiety and possible PTSD.
Nurses can ask about climate disasters, screen mood, counsel about heat risks and connect women to support.
Key findings
01Women exposed to extreme weather events during pregnancy or postpartum described specific fears and anxieties that affected their mood.
02In a cited study of 200 wildfire survivors who were pregnant or in early postpartum, 50% qualified as possible or probable PTSD.
03The review links disaster-related maternal stress to childhood adiposity, poorer infant temperament and impaired cognitive or motor development.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a narrative review, not a primary study, so it does not test whether asking about climate disasters or counselling improves perinatal mental health. The supplied text does not report how studies were searched or selected, so it may not cover all relevant evidence. The review states that evidence to inform a standard approach to tackling downstream effects of displacement in the perinatal period is lacking. Much of the evidence is cited from other studies, so the quality of those studies cannot be judged from this paper.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not state author conflicts of interest. It notes that Postpartum Support International launched a maternal mental health hotline as part of a U.S. HRSA funded collaboration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that climate change causes perinatal mental illness or that nurse counselling improves outcomes. The paper is a narrative review of associations and recommendations, not a tested intervention.