The relationship between preterm birth and postpartum anxiety: A first-in-field systematic review

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Worrall, Semra ORCID: 0000-0002-6587-9306, Dasgupta, Tisha, Powell, Sam, Devita, Sella, Bailey, Emma C, Pinker, India, Ciuffo, Giulia, Ionio, Chiara, Cronin, Robin S, Flynn, Angela C et al (show 57 more authors) , Jackson, Leanne ORCID: 0000-0003-4491-1802, Gomes Beato, Beatriz Volpin, Wood, Olivia, Machado-Kayzuka, Giovanna C, Aparicio Garcia, Marta E, Bozicevic, Laura ORCID: 0000-0001-8629-1723, Costas-Ramon, Natalia, Davie, Philippa, De Pascalis, Leonardo ORCID: 0000-0002-9150-3468, Fellow, Rebecca E, Keynejad, Roxanne C, Maghalian, Masha, Mirghafourvand, Mojgan, Mistry, Hiten D, Rene, Caroline, Montgomery, Elsa, Awe, Anjolaoluwa, Nascimento, Lucila Castanheira, Dias, Tatiana, El-Dirani, Zeinab, Fulton, Alice, Hakim, Gabriella, Moreira, Helena, Mourao, Daniela, Murphy, Margaret M, Soulsby, Laura K ORCID: 0000-0001-9071-8654, Htay, Poe Nu, Zurba, Sofija, Anderson, Michelle, Benton, Madeleine, Payne, Elana ORCID: 0009-0001-6214-6641, Avignon, Valerie, Mair, Amy, Vass, Victoria, Alshammari, Reyanne, Bradford, Billie F, Catsaros, Stephanie, Della Vedova, Anna M, Ford, Debbie, Heywood, Lauren E, Peterson, Lili, Deforges, Camille, Pike, Olivia, Briley, Annette, deMontigny, Francine, Gerhardt, Bruna, Landoni, Marta, Palma, Sara, Souza Torres De Araujo, Kydja M, Magee, Laura A, von Dadelszen, Peter, Christiansen, Paul, Khalil, Asma, Carter, Jenny, Carlisle, Naomi H, Fallon, Victoria ORCID: 0000-0002-7350-2568 and Silverio, Sergio A ORCID: 0000-0001-7177-3471 (2026) The relationship between preterm birth and postpartum anxiety: A first-in-field systematic review BEST PRACTICE & RESEARCH CLINICAL OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, 105. 102715-. ISSN 1521-6934, 1532-1932

Text Worrall, Dasgupta, Powell, [...], Carlisle, Fallon, & Silverio (2026) - PTB & PPA Systematic Review - BPRCOG .pdf - Open Access published version Download (4MB) | Preview

Abstract

Introduction Preterm birth poses substantial risks to infant health and maternal mental health, particularly anxiety. The evidence base for associations between gestational age and postpartum anxiety has yet to be synthesised as a whole. This first-in-field systematic review aimed to investigate the relationship between gestational age at delivery and postpartum anxiety, and explore the experiences of mothers of premature infants with postpartum anxiety. Materials and methods Searches were conducted across 10 psychological, clinical, and allied health databases from inception to 6^th October 2024 (PROSPERO CRD: CRD42023369647). There were no restrictions on language or study design. Only studies that assessed the relationship between gestational age at delivery, or preterm birth, and maternal anxiety assessed during the first postpartum year were eligible for inclusion in this review. Initial searches were conducted by one author. Identification and data extraction of studies were performed by two different authors independently. Results Twenty-three studies were eligible for inclusion in the review. All studies were quantitative; no qualitative studies were eligible for inclusion. Data were synthesised via narrative synthesis. Taken together, the results indicate an inverse association between gestational age at delivery (preterm birth) and anxiety. Conclusions Variable timing of assessment and tool(s) used to measure postpartum anxiety, alongside limited consideration of categories of gestational age (i.e., extremely, very, moderate-to-late preterm) limit the ability to make firm conclusions about the extent of this relationship.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Preterm birth, Gestational age, Postpartum anxiety, Systematic review, NICU
Divisions:	Faculty of Health & Life Sciences Faculty of Health & Life Sciences > Inst. Population Health Faculty of Health & Life Sciences > Inst. Population Health > Inst. Population Health (T&R Staff) Faculty of Health & Life Sciences > Inst. Population Health > Psychology
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	25 Feb 2026 16:52
Last Modified:	16 Jun 2026 03:51
DOI:	10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2026.102715
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3197177
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