Category: News

El pasado viernes 13 de febrero, el equipo e-Perinatal realizó una visita al equipo de matronas del Distrito Jaén Sur, que participará próximamente en el ensayo clínico del proyecto e-Perinatal.

Durante la jornada se abordaron los aspectos organizativos y de coordinación necesarios para la puesta en marcha del estudio, poniendo en el foco el papel que desempeñarán las matronas en el proceso de reclutamiento de participantes desde los distintos centros de salud del distrito.

Desde e-Perinatal han querido trasladar su agradecimiento a la nueva directora de Cuidados, Dña. Esther Ruiz Roldán, por su implicación y apoyo a esta iniciativa, reconocimiento que han hecho extensivo a su predecesor, D. Juan Manuel García Jiménez, por el trabajo previo realizado. Asimismo, han destacado la colaboración y compromiso de todos los profesionales que participarán activamente en el ensayo.

El reclutamiento se llevará a cabo desde los centros de salud de Bulevar, Mancha Real y La Magdalena; Torredonjimeno, Porcuna y Lopera; Martos; San Felipe y UGC El Valle; La Alameda y Virgen de la Capilla; Federico del Castillo-Fuentezuelas; Alcalá la Real Sur; Mengíbar (Doctor Manuel Polaina Bailón); Alcaudete; Valdepeñas de Jaén, Los Villares y Torredelcampo; así como Huelma, Cambil y Campillo de Arenas.

Este encuentro refuerza la coordinación entre los equipos asistenciales y de investigación y pone de manifiesto la implicación de los profesionales del Distrito Jaén Sur en proyectos que contribuyen a mejorar la calidad de los cuidados y la atención a las mujeres y sus familias.

Perinatal IBiS Lab researchers have published a new article about the co-design of an innovative mHealth intervention as part of the e-Perinatal app. Its aim is to prevent mental health disorders after perinatal loss, and the research has focused both on parents and healthcare professionals.

The study’s primary objective was to co-design an accessible and user-centered mobile intervention that helps parents cope after perinatal loss and prevents the development of more severe mental health problems. By actively involving parents in the design, and taking the advice of healthcare professionals into consideration, the researchers aimed to ensure the intervention is both meaningful and engaging for intended users.

Participants contributed feedback on content, features, communication styles, and user experience. They highlighted the existent lack of accesible information and valued the availability of free resources such as this one. They especially recommended adding visual features, care reminders and personalized user profiles. As for healthcare professionals, they appreciated being involved in designing the intervantion to ensure an effective integration into clinical practice.

Perinatal loss can significantly increase the risk of psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders, during and after pregnancy. Digital health tools like mHealth apps have the potential to overcome barriers such as stigma, limited access to care, and geographic isolation.

The study focused on the development process and initial prototype design. Developing such mHealth tools are important to our project, as they have the potential to become a valuable resource in perinatal mental health care.

Last November 22nd, members of our research team participated in the 11^th International Congress of Clinical and Health Psychology in Children and Adolescents (AITANA), held in Málaga. Within this international forum, the team organized and participated in a monographic table focused on recent psychometric advances in the assessment of perinatal mental health in Spanish-speaking women.

The monographic table, titled “Assessing Perinatal Mental Health in Spanish-Speaking Women: Psychometric Advances in Key Measures”, brought together four complementary studies addressing the validation and adaptation of key instruments used to assess psychological symptoms and psychosocial vulnerabilities during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The session was chaired and moderated by our team member Francisco J. Nieto-Casado (University of Seville), who introduced the rationale of the monographic table and highlighted the relevance of culturally adapted assessment tools for maternal mental health research and clinical practice.

Team member Irene Gómez-Gómez (University of Loyola) and Emma Motrico, the Principal Investigator of the research team, were key speakers of the table, as well as researcher María F. Rodríguez-Muñoz (UNED).

The first presentation focused on the psychometric evaluation of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), demonstrating that this brief questionnaire can capture both affective and somatic signs of depression in pregnant and postpartum women.

The second study focused on the online version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7). Results confirmed good psychometric properties when administered digitally, supporting their use as screen for perinatal depression and anxiety in Spanish-speaking populations.

The third presentation introduced the Antenatal Risk Questionnaire – Revised (ANRQ-R) as a promising tool for the assessment of psychosocial risk in pregnant and postpartum women. The study provided preliminary psychometric evidence supporting its use to capture key social and emotional risk factors associated with poorer perinatal mental health outcomes.

Finally, the fourth study examined the Spanish validation of the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (BPNSFS) in perinatal women. Findings highlighted the close association between basic psychological need frustration and higher levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms, underscoring the relevance of motivational and contextual factors in maternal mental health.

Overall, the symposium highlighted the importance of having culturally adapted, reliable, and valid instruments to identify psychological distress and psychosocial vulnerabilities at a critical stage for women, infants, and families.

Researchers Carlos Roberto Cruz Cabrera and Irene Gómez Gómez, from Perinatal Ibis Lab Research Team, have presented a poster in the VI AEPP Professional Conferences. The research, titled Preliminary assessment of the psychometric properties of the Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) test for measuring perinatal anxiety in Spanish men, aimed to evaluate the GAD-7 questionnary’s performance on men during the perinatal period.

The Spanish Association of Perinatal Psychology (AEPP), together with Loyola University, were the hosts of the conference on November 21–22, 2025, under the theme “A Comprehensive View of Perinatal Care.” The event brought together experts to discuss trauma, grief, mental health in pregnancy, and early parenthood.

The team’s presentation was well received during the conference, with their poster standing out as the only one focused on the fathers and expectant fathers’ wellbeing in the perinatal period, among the nine displayed.

We are always glad to participate in psychology conferences, as they allow us to highlight the importance of perinatal mental health and generate excitement for future research collaborations in the field.

The Perinatal IBIS Lab research team participates in a new research project funded by the AEI. The subject of the project, whose abbreviated title is EXPAR-P, is the influence of childbirth in the development of parenthood. Moreover, it explores its impact in the development of healthy relationships between parents and children.

The project will bring up the following questions: How do a person’s past experiences affect how they go through childbirth? What effect does it have on perinatal mental health? What about parental bonding and the development of parenting abilities?

The main goal of this study is to create and test psychological tools used to assess parents during the perinatal period. The study will also examine how certain psychological traits can predict the birthing experience for both mothers and fathers. Finally, it aims to assess how the childbirth experience affects parenting and mental health from immediately after birth through the baby’s first six months.

The project EXPAR-P follows two Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 3 (good health and well-being) and 5 (gendered equality). On the one hand, previous studies show that giving birth affects mothers’ mental health directly, with cases of self-esteem issues, crushed expectations, stress or even birth-related PTSD. On the other hand, fathers can experience PTSD as well, but their mental health issues tend to manifest as hyperactivity and a general feeling of uselessness. The impact of childbirth on fathers is an under-researched topic, but several studies have proven that professional support can help them feel more involved in the perinatal period.

EXPAR-P expects to have a direct impact in perinatal mental health by offering digital psychological orientation and open communication of the results of the research. It will be a product of the collaboration between researchers from several institutions, such as the University of Comillas, the Loyola University or the Perinatal IBIS Lab. The research has already begun and it’s projected to continue over the following four years.

Participating in initiatives such as the EXPAR-P project is a privilege for our research team. Our primary objective is to promote awareness and understanding of mental health during the perinatal period. We are committed to disseminating the findings of our work to facilitate improved support for both professionals and families.

Our Team has participated in the publication of a new paper titled Impact of Traumatic Childbirth and Birth-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on Breastfeeding Outcomes:A Systematic Review of Longitudinal and Cohort Studies. The publication is available on open access in the influential journal Birth.

The research, led by an international team, had the lack of evidence about the influence of traumatic childbirth in breastfeeding as a starting point. Therefore, its main objective was to gather and study the available resources on the topic by a systematic review of prospective longitudinal and cohort studies.

The results revealed a negative link –including lasting effects– between birth-related trauma and breastfeeding outcomes.

Researches like this one teach us that there’s still an unexplored field in the perinatal mental health field of investigation. We are glad to contribute to a more compassionate, trauma-informed perinatal care.

The e-Perinatal Team has presented their protocol study for the pilot trial of e-Perinatal in Open Research Europe. The publication posed a current situation: although perinatal mental health disorders have a heavy impact on both families and healthcare systems, mental health services keep being hard to reach due to structural barriers. Therefore, mobile health (mHealth) interventions can provide a convenient measure, but it is a little-researched topic, with limited assessments in real-world practice.

The study is titled A personalized mHealth intervention for the universal prevention of perinatal mental disorders in routine maternal care (e-Perinatal): A protocol study for a hybrid feasibility pilot trial. The e-Perinatal app, a personalized mHealth innovation for universal perinatal mental disorders prevention, has had a two-arm, cluster randomised (in eight Primary Heathcare Andalusian Centres), hybrid type 1 pilot trial. It aimed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of the app.

There were two target groups: pregnant or postpartum women and their partners; and healthcare professionals involved in routine maternal care, who received specialized training.

The pilot trial will give us essential insights into the feasibility of incorporating our e-Perinatal app into routine maternal care, providing the basics for the development and implementation of a future large-scale trial.

Last Tuesday, October 7th, the e-Perinatal app was presented in ‘EnRed’, which was aired in Canal Sur. ‘EnRed’ is a TV program dedicated to the dissemination of technology, science, internet, and online content in Andalusia.

The reportage covered the e-Perinatal app, designed to detect and prevent anxiety and depression in pregnant women and new mothers. It explained the way it works, offering self-assessment questionnaires, emotional tracking tools, and personalized support materials to help women monitor their mental health throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Our scientific coordinator, Dr. Emma Motrico, highlighted that up to 20% of women experience perinatal anxiety or depression, making early detection essential for both maternal and infant well-being. The app is currently being tested in several health centers across Andalusia, including Mairena del Aljarafe (Seville).

We are truly grateful to Canal Sur for their coverage and hope it helps share the benefits of joining our project with even more people!

The Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS) hosted the XIII Perinatal Mental Health Conference on May 15th and 16th, 2025. This event, organized by the Spanish Society of Perinatal Mental Health (MARES), brought together professionals from different disciplines to address the latest advances in the research, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders related to pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period.

The Perinatal IBiS-Lab research group, led by Dr. Emma Motrico, organized and also participated actively in these sessions. Dr. Motrico hosted the opening lecture, “Maternal Stress during Pregnancy and Adverse Outcomes in Offspring”, with Dr. Rafael Caparrós, from the University of Granada, as a speaker.

The e-Perinatal Team also presented the results of patient and public involvement (PPI) in the e-Perinatal project, focusing on barriers, facilitators, and impacts. This study was conducted by Team researchers Rosalba Company, Paula de Juan, Stephanie Carretero, Carlos Barquero, Roberto Cruz and Emma Motrico. The outcome highlighted the importance of strategies which strengthen collaborative participation, particularly of families and professionals, in designing and implementing perinatal health interventions.

In addition, the Team shared “Adaptation into Spanish of the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (BPNSFS) in the perinatal context: Preliminary results”, which had the objective of culturally adapting the BPNSFS to the Spanish perinatal context and to preliminarily evaluate its factorial structure, reliability, and external validity. The results were positive and proved a potentially useful procedure of the Scale during the perinatal period in the Spanish context.

The project “Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Preventive Interventions on Perinatal Depression: Protocol of the METAPSY e-Perinatal Study” was also presented with a poster in the Conference. The project is being developed at the moment and involves a creation of a meta-analytic research methodology; the design of a web-based tool for this purpose; and the conduct of analyses and dissemination.

The congress concluded with great news for the e-Perinatal Team. After sharing the study “Designing an Implementation Strategy of a mHealth Intervention in Perinatal Mental Health: an Example in the Context of Routine Maternal Care”, the Team researcher Paula de Juan was awarded with the Best Poster Prize.

Organizing and participating in this inspiring congress was a pleasure for the e-Perinatal Team. The encouraging work of professionals, researchers and families help us build a future where mental well-being during pregnancy and postpartum becomes a priority.