Research lays a foundation of knowledge for understanding psychopathology, mental health and the relationship between psychological factors and physical disease.

Research also provides a body of evidence to guide clinical practice, including empirically validated methods to assess people and their problems and empirically supported methods of prevention and treatment.

Research findings should also identify those interventions that have been shown to be more effective than no treatment or alternative forms of treatment. Just as research informs clinical practice, clinical experiences provide a source of ideas and hypotheses for research. Research also provides ideas for new directions and applications for the field of clinical psychology, including links between clinical psychology and research in other behavioral, biological, and social sciences.

Therefore, Maternal Mental Health NOW is dedicated to:

(1) providing access to up-to-date empirical research articles for our health care community providers and to the women and families they serve; and

(2) supporting local research studies that focus on maternal mental health. This is important because, maternal mental health is a dynamic and fast-paced research field and you can help move the field forward with your participation!

We take a team approach to this effort. Our research subcommittee regularly updates the Training Institute’s materials and this webpage, in order to objectively maintain academic rigor and provide research opportunities to our community.

The six broad areas of research that we update include Screening, Interventions, Risks, Outcomes, Neurobiology and Disparities Research. We also include a research folder focused on our conference topic, which changes every 2 years. Please click on the links below for additional information, including abstracts and in some cases full-length articles.

Articles and Reports

Below is a list of research articles and reports related to each category that have been vetted by our research committee. Please click on the links below for additional information, including abstracts and in some cases full-length articles.

  1. Woofter, R., Hill, G., Wong, E., Bright, T. J., Bresee, C., Kilpatrick, S. J., & Accortt, E. E. (2025). Improving inpatient postpartum depression screening: results from a quality improvement initiative. Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 1-13.
  2. Accortt, EE, Haque, L, Bamgbose, O, Buttle, R., Kilpatrick, S. (2022). Implementing an Inpatient Postpartum Depression Screening, Education and Referral Program in the Postpartum Unit: A Quality Improvement Study. AJOG Maternal Fetal Medicine, 4(3), 100581.
  3. Avila, A., & Leeper, E. (2022). Assessment of barriers to effective use of psychiatric advance directives: Providers’ knowledge and attitudes. Psychological services.
  4. Ash, M. J., Livingston, M. D., Sales, J. M., & Woods-Jaeger, B. (2024). Mental Health Treatment Utilization and Unmet Mental Health Needs Among Black Reproductive-Age Women in the United States. Psychiatric Services.
  5. Cahn, M., Mulcahy, A., Gonzales, K., Miller, G., & Smith, W. (2022). Healthcare professionals’ perspectives on integrating reproductive and acute mental healthcare. Sexuality and Disability.
  6. Dossett, E.C., Castañeda-Cudney, S.L., Nguyen, M.T. et al. (2023). Reproductive psychiatric advance directives: promoting autonomy for perinatal people with serious mental illness diagnoses. Arch Womens Ment Health.
  7. Goodsmith, N., Dossett, E. C., Gitlin, R., Fenwick, K., Ong, J. R., Hamilton, A., & Cordasco, K. M. (2023). Acceptability of reproductive goals assessment in public mental health care. Health Services Research.
  8. Taiwo, Tanya Khemet, Keisha Goode, P. Mimi Niles, Kathrin Stoll, Nisha Malhotra, Saraswathi Vedam. (2024). Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder and Reproductive Justice: Examining Unmet Needs for Mental Health and Social Services in a National Cohort. Health Equity, vol. 8, issue 1. pp. 76-86.

  1. Accortt, E. E., Arora, C., Mirocha, J., Jackman, S., Liang, R., Karumanchi, S. A., Berg, A. & Hobel, C. J. (2021). Low Prenatal Vitamin D Metabolite Ratio and Subsequent Postpartum Depression Risk. Journal of Women’s Health, 30(1), 113-120

  1. Hutchens, Bridget F. CNM, PhD, RN; Kearney, Joan PhD, PMHCNS, APRN-BC. (2020). Risk factors for postpartum depression: An umbrella review. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health/Volume 65, Issue1/pp.96-108.
  2. Gastaldon, Chiara; Solmi, Marco; Correll, Christoph U; Barbui, Corrado; Schoretsanitis, Georgios. (2022). Risk factors of postpartum depression and depressive symptoms: umbrella review of current evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies. British Journal of Psychiatry, 221(4): pp. 591-602.
  3. Nynas J, Narang P, Kolikonda MK, Lippmann S. (2015). Depression and anxiety following early pregnancy loss. The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders

  1. Ayers, S., Bond, R., Bertullies, S., & Wijma, K. (2016). The aetiology of post-traumatic stress following childbirth: a meta-analysis and theoretical framework. Psychological medicine, 46(06), 1121-1134.
  2. Bergman, B., Sarkar, P., O’Connor, T.G., Modi, N., Glover, V. (2007). Maternal stress during pregnancy predicts cognitive ability and fearfulness in infancy. J. American Academy Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 46:1454–63.
  3. Buss, C., Davis, E. P., Muftuler, L. T., Head, K., & Sandman, C. A. (2010). High pregnancy anxiety during mid-gestation is associated with decreased gray matter density in 6–9-year-old children. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 35(1), 141-153.
  4. Field, Tiffany, Diego, Miguel, Hernandez-Reif, Maria. (2006). Prenatal depression effects on the fetus and newborn: a review. Infant Behavior & Development. 29, 445-455.
  5. Goodman, J. H., Paternal postpartum depression, its relationship to maternal postpartum depression, and implications for family health. (2004). Journal of Advanced Nursing, 45(1):26-35.
  6. Grote, N. K., Bridge, J. A., Gavin, A. R., Melville, J. L., Iyengar, S., & Katon, W. J. (2010). A meta-analysis of depression during pregnancy and the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and intrauterine growth restriction. Archives of General Psychiatry, 67(10), 1012-1024.
  7. Guardino, C. M., & Dunkel Schetter, C. (2014). Understanding pregnancy anxiety: Concepts, correlates, and consequences. Zero to Three. 34(4), 12-21.
  8. Huntley, F., Wright, N., Pickles, A., Sharp, H., & Hill, J. (2017). Maternal mental health and child problem behaviours: disentangling the role of depression and borderline personality dysfunction. British Journal of Psychiatry Open, 3(6), 300-305.
  9. Kok, R., Thijssen, S., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M.J., Jaddoe, V.W., Verhulst, F.C., White, T., van IJzendoorn, M.H., and Tiemeier, H. (2015). Normal variation in early parental sensitivity predicts child structural brain development. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 54(10), 824-831.
  10. Paulson, J.F., et al.  Individual and combined effects of postpartum depression in mothers and fathers on parenting behavior. (2006). Pediatrics, 118(2): 659-68.
  11. Paulson, J. F., & Bazemore, S. D. (2010). Prenatal and postpartum depression in fathers and its association with maternal depression: a meta-analysis. JAMA, 303(19), 1961-1969.
  12. Reed, R., Sharman, R., & Inglis, C. (2017). Women’s descriptions of childbirth trauma relating to care provider actions and interactions. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 17(1), 21.
  13. Rizzo, K. M., Schiffrin, H. H., & Liss, M. (2013). Insight into the parenthood paradox: Mental health outcomes of intensive mothering. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 22(5), 614-620.
  14. Van den Bergh, B.R.H., Maarten, M., Veerle, S., Van de Meere, .J, Borger, N., et al. (2006). ADHD deficit as measured in adolescent boys with a continuous performance task is related to antenatal maternal anxiety. Pediatr. Res., 59:78–82.
  15. Wu, V., East, P., Delker, E., Blanco, E., Caballero, G., Delva, J., & Gahagan, S. (2018). Associations Among Mothers’ Depression, Emotional and Learning‐Material Support to Their Child, and Children’s Cognitive Functioning: A 16‐Year Longitudinal Study. Child development.

  1. Payne, J. L., & Maguire, J. (2019). Pathophysiological mechanisms implicated in postpartum depression. Frontiers in neuroendocrinology, 52, 165-180.
  2. Walton, N., & Maguire, J. (2019). Allopregnanolone-based treatments for postpartum depression: Why/how do they work?. Neurobiology of stress, 11, 100198.
  3. Duarte-Guterman, P., Leuner, B., & Galea, L. A. (2019). The long and short term effects of motherhood on the brain. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 53, 100740. doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.02.004
  4. Swenson, C. W., DePorre, J. A., Haefner, J. K., Berger, M. B., & Fenner, D. E. (2018). Postpartum depression screening and pelvic floor symptoms among women referred to a specialty postpartum perineal clinic. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 218(3), 335-e1.
  5. Pawluski, J. L., Lonstein, J. S., & Fleming, A. S. (2017). The neurobiology of postpartum anxiety and depression. Trends in Neurosciences, 40(2), 106-120.

  1. Vora, V., Kanyal, S., Chauhan, A., Agarwal, P., & Sethi, Y. (2026). Cultural perceptions and social determinants of health in perinatal mental health: An obstetric‐psychiatric perspective. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 172(1), 137-148.
  2. Tamene, M., McKenzie-Sampson, S., Ahern, J., Bradshaw, P., Carmichael, S. L., & Mujahid, M. S. (2025). Structural racism and perinatal mental health–The role of racialized economic segregation. Social Science & Medicine.

Research Requests

Maternal Mental Health NOW | Research

The research committee is looking for research participation opportunities to share with our members on the Maternal Mental Health NOW website. If you are involved with an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved research study focused on perinatal mental health, please email the following to [email protected]:

  1. Contact Info: University/College, Primary Contact Name & Email
  2. A high quality PDF of your research flyer (with IRB number) and logo (as applicable)
  3. A brief (2 sentence) description of the population you seek, e.g. pregnant women or mothers of 1-4 year olds

For an example, please click here. The committee will review your materials and let you know whether the project will be showcased on the website.

Participate in Research

Person holding and reading a book in a library

Current opportunities are linked below if you are interested in participating in local research studies. We ensure that all studies represented are certified by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) and are suitable for our members.

Maternal Mental Health Now, however, does not endorse or financially support any of these studies and therefore has no vested interest.
Apply to participate at your own risk/benefit.

Latina Mothers: Participate in a postpartum mental health research study
Seeking participants for a dissertation on transgender healthcare
Expectant Black Mothers
Family Foundations ART Study
Doulas who work with trans clients
Research Study for African American Adult Daughters
Representation in Postpartum Eating-Disorder Research