Alyx Taylor

Background/Objectives: Valid and time-efficient measurement instruments for the assessment of perinatal distress beyond depressive symptoms are yet to be determined. The main objective was to analyse the psychometric measurement properties of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) short forms in Swedish pregnant women during the third trimester. The secondary objective was to analyse the measurement properties of DASS short forms for the postnatal period. Methods: Data from the Scania Birth Cohort study including 78 women followed prospectively from the third pregnancy trimester to one year postpartum were used. The DASS-21, DASS-12, DASS-9 (two versions), and the 12-item Mini-DASS were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), inter-item analysis, and Spearman’s rho subscale cross-correlations. Postnatal analysis at infant ages 1, 6, and 12 months was performed using CFA and inter-item analysis. Results: When used with third-trimester pregnant women, the DASS-9 version 1 and the Mini-DASS exhibited overall acceptable psychometric properties in terms of internal consistency (McDonald’s ω ≥ 0.77) and structural and discriminant validity (e.g., CFI > 0.90 and SRMR < 0.08 for all DASS-9 two- and three-factor models; and CFI > 0.95 and SRMR < 0.08 for one-factor models of the Mini-DASS subscales - including a modified anxiety scale - and for the Mini-DASS depression and anxiety two-factor model). Support for these DASS short forms postpartum was also indicated. Conclusions: Although preliminary, the current results support the DASS-9 and the Mini-DASS as parsimonious tools for the assessment of perinatal distress and its subtypes. Further validation in the perinatal context is warranted.

Purpose: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are relevant for assessing the bond between a mother and her child, both before and after childbirth. Several questionnaires have been developed with the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS) prominent among them, as it is a valid and easy-to-administer questionnaire owing to its length. Even though, this PROM has been adapted in Japanese, Indonesian and Swedish, it remains to be translated into French. The objective of this study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the MIBS into French (MIBS-Fr). Patients and Methods: The translation and cultural-adaptation of the questionnaire were performed following a 10-step process as recommended by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). During the cognitive debriefing, each item of the questionnaire was rated between 1 to 10 according to the comprehension level by 11 mothers. Results: The French version was very well understood with a mean level of comprehension of 9.7 ± 1.4 out of 10. The one-word descriptor used to express feelings in the original version was replaced by phrases in the French version for a better language adaptation. Slight modifications were made by the original developer, and back translations were found to be very consistent. Conclusion: This study reports the development of a French version of the MIBS (MIBS-Fr) following the ISPOR’s recommendations for the translation and intercultural adaptation of a questionnaire. The MIBS-Fr provides French-speaking healthcare professionals with a practical and standardized tool to assess mother-to-infant bonding, facilitating early identification of bonding difficulties and supporting appropriate interventions in postpartum care. Plain Language Summary: Understanding the emotional bond between a mother and her newborn is important because it can impact the child’s development and well-being. Healthcare professionals use different questionnaires to measure this bond, but one commonly used tool, the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS), was not yet available in French. Our study aimed to create a French version of the MIBS (MIBS-Fr) so it can be used by French-speaking mothers. To do this, we followed an internationally recognized process for translation and cultural adaptation. This included translating the questionnaire, reviewing it with experts, and testing it with 11 mothers in a maternity unit to ensure clarity and accuracy. The final French version was well understood, with an average comprehension score of 9.7 out of 10. Some words were adjusted to better reflect emotions in French while keeping the meaning of the original scale. This new version of the MIBS allows French-speaking mothers to accurately express their feelings about their bond with their baby. It will help healthcare professionals assess and support mother-infant relationships in French-speaking communities.

Valid measurement instruments are needed to investigate the impact of parental bonding on child health development. The aim was to develop and validate a self-report questionnaire, the Parent-to-Infant Bonding Scale (PIBS) to measure bonding in both mothers and fathers. Internal consistency and construct validity were analysed using data from Swedish parents from both clinical (N = 182), and community (N = 122) population samples. Overall, good or acceptable internal consistency of the PIBS appeared. Convergent validity (against the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire, analysed in the clinical sample) and discriminant validity (against the mental health constructs of depressive symptoms and anxiety) were demonstrated. The results support the PIBS as a measure of maternal and paternal bonding in community and clinical populations. Assessments of criterion validity in these populations are desirable. The similarities in PIBS measurement properties between the parent groups suggest its usefulness for comparisons between mothers and fathers, and for future investigations of unique and interactive impacts of maternal and paternal bonding on child outcomes using community and clinical cohorts.

Background: Although numerous studies have examined associations between personality traits and eating disorders in females, few studies have been conducted on female exercisers. Given the high risk of disordered eating in female exercisers, this study investigated the associations between the Big Five personality traits and disordered eating in female exercisers, and further explored the potential mediators, namely exercise dependence symptoms, and obsessive–compulsive symptoms underlying this association. Methods: A total of 295 female exercisers aged between 18 to 67 years (M = 22.11, SD = 6.65) participated in this study. Results: Negative and statistically significant correlations between conscientiousness (r = − 0.17, p < 0.01), emotional stability (r = − 0.27, p < 0.001) and agreeableness (r = − 0.18, p < 0.01) and disordered eating were observed in our sample of female exercisers. The multiple mediation analyses revealed that exercise dependence symptoms and obsessive–compulsive symptoms mediate the relationship between conscientiousness (β = 0.016, CI = [0.003, 0.031]), emotional stability (β = -0.012, CI = [− 0.028, − 0.002]), and disordered eating in female exercisers, whereas obsessive–compulsive symptoms (β = − 0.041, CI = [− 0.088, − 0.001]) but not exercise dependence symptoms are a mediator of the relationship between agreeableness and disordered eating. Conclusions: Our findings can be used to improve the screening procedures for eating disorders in female exercisers as they contribute to a better understanding of the psychological mechanisms that underlie the associations between the Big Five personality traits and disordered eating.

This study examined the associations between adherence to 24-hour movement behavior guidelines (24-HMB) and the mental-health-related outcomes of depressive symptoms and anxiety in Chinese children. Data on movement behavior from 5357 children (4th and 5th grades), including physical activity, recreational screen time and sleep, were self-reported using the Health Behavior School-Aged Children Survey. Depressive symptoms and anxiety were self-reported using the Chinese version of the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, respectively. Depressive symptoms and anxiety were treated as categorical variables. Only 3.2% of the participants met physical activity, screen time, and sleep 24-HMB guidelines. Ordinal logistic regressions showed that, compared with participants who met the 24-HMB guidelines, participants who met none (odds ratio (OR) = 2.62, 95% CI: 1.76–3.90) or any one of the guidelines (OR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.27–2.77) had higher odds of depressive symptoms. Similarly, there were higher odds of anxiety in participants who met none (OR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.45–3.70) or any one of the recommendations (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.03–2.57) compared with participants who met all the 24-HMB guidelines. Meeting the 24-HMB guidelines is associated with better mental-health-related outcomes in Chinese children. Because of the low prevalence of Chinese children meeting the 24-HMB recommendations, the present findings highlight the need to encourage children to regularly engage in physical activity, decrease their time spent sitting, and improve their sleep patterns.

Objective: The present study aimed to examine the role of BMI, body image inflexibility, and anxiety to eating disorder and exercise dependence symptoms in a sample of college students. Participants: 878 habitual exercisers (M age = 20.09 years, SD = 1.76 years) in a large urban university participated in this study. They had an exercise frequency not less than 3 days per week. Methods: Participants filled out demographic information, exercise behavior, questionnaire for exercise dependence (EDS-R), eating disorder (EDE-QS), body image inflexibility (BI-AAQ), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7).Results: After controlling for age, gender and major, lower BMI was linked to more exercise dependence symptoms but not significant (β=-0.04, p=0.26). In contrast, greater BMI was significantly associated with a higher risk of developing eating disorder (β=-0.08, p<0.001). Moreover, higher body image inflexibility is significantly positive contributed to not only sever exercise dependence (β=0.26, p<0.001), but also abnormal eating attitudes and behaviors (β=0.74, p<0.001). Furthermore, generalized anxiety is a significant contributor to exercise dependence symptoms (β=0.14, p<0.001) but not eating disorder symptoms (β=0.02, p=0.43).Conclusions: Body image inflexibility is the common contributor to developing exercise dependence and eating disorders, suggesting that the prevention and treatment of disordered eating and exercise dependence should involve the improvement of psychological flexibility. In addition, the individual with higher BMI is more vulnerable for developing eating disorder, while those who have the sever anxiety symptoms should be given more attention to screen for exercise dependence.

Postpartum depression (PPD) has detrimental effects on the health of the mother, child and family. Socio-demographic variables can influence PPD. Sense of coherence (SOC) is a personal resource that mitigates the experience of stressful events. We hypothesized that SOC would have a protective effect against PPD over time. The aim was to investigate the effects of socio-demographic factors and SOC on PPD at birth (T1) and nine months postpartum (T2). A longitudinal study of primiparous women (n = 114; age range 18–47 years) measured PPD, SOC and socio-demographics at T1 and T2. The majority were married, had no economic difficulties and were employed before birth. Results showed that PPD at T1 (15.8%) declined to 6.2% (T2). Job status was positively associated with SOC at T1. The structured equation model accounted for 27% of the variance in PPD (T2). In the first pathway, job status was linked to PPD (T2) via SOC at T1 and T2. In the second, SOC and PPD (T1) and SOC (T2) mediated the link between job status and PPD (T2). Results and clinical implications are discussed in the context of the theory of conservation of resources. An intervention for enhancing SOC is recommended for woman at risk of PPD.

Moderate to high intensity exercise can improve cognitive function and behavior in children including those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, exercise with long periods of the same activity, or inactivity can fail to engage or maintain their attention. This study examined the effect of exercise sessions developed to engage children with ADHD. Twelve children (10–11 years), six with a diagnosis of ADHD and six with no diagnosis, undertook 40-min sessions of short-duration, mixed activities bi-weekly for eleven weeks. ADHD symptoms and exercise enjoyment were recorded before six and eleven weeks of intervention. Teacher-reported data showed ADHD symptoms were significantly decreased in the children with ADHD, with a moderate to large effect size. There were no changes in the control group. All children indicated equal enjoyment of the exercise sessions. Specially designed exercise sessions stimulate and maintain engagement by children with ADHD and may reduce ADHD symptom levels in the school environment. The method that supports inclusive practice in physical education (PE) was successfully transferred to the study school and led by the usual class teacher. Children evaluated the exercises as acceptable and enjoyable for those with and without ADHD. This inclusive exercise method might help children manage ADHD symptoms.