The identification and measurement of postpartum anxiety in England: A Delphi survey

Worrall, Semra ORCID: 0000-0002-6587-9306, Harris, Elizabeth J, Silverio, Sergio A ORCID: 0000-0001-7177-3471 and Fallon, Victoria ORCID: 0000-0002-7350-2568 (2023) The identification and measurement of postpartum anxiety in England: A Delphi survey Journal of Psychiatric Research, 168. pp. 381-391. ISSN 0022-3956, 1879-1379

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Abstract

Postpartum anxiety has negative consequences for both mother and infant, so effective identification and measurement is vital to enable intervention. Despite NICE recommendations to prioritise the measurement of postpartum anxiety in mothers, current clinical measurement in England remains both fragmented and flawed. The Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale [PSAS] offers an alternative, as it measures maternal-focused anxieties which can enable specifically targeted interventions. However, it is only currently used as a research tool and may require modification for clinical use. To inform modification of the PSAS, nineteen stakeholders from a variety of organisations participated in a two-round Delphi consensus survey to measure its clinical relevance and potential for effective identification of clinical anxiety. Descriptive analyses revealed all subscales of the PSAS scored highly across all domains, excluding Practical Infant Care Anxieties. Analyses also indicated good consensus between stakeholders across specific items, suggesting that the some items on the PSAS are relevant and effective at identifying clinical postpartum anxiety. Participants also expressed a need for a shorter version of the PSAS for clinical use, and that additional items may need including. Future research must now adapt the existing PSAS based on the results of this study and pilot the adapted measure in a clinical population.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Postpartum anxiety, Delphi survey, Multi-professional
Divisions:	Faculty of Health & Life Sciences Faculty of Health & Life Sciences > Inst. Population Health
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	17 Nov 2023 08:23
Last Modified:	28 Feb 2026 16:39
DOI:	10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.10.041
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3176849
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