SynthesisBMC pregnancy and childbirth2022
Perinatal mental health literacy: knowledge, attitudes, and help-seeking among perinatal women and the public - a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
52 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Postpartum Suicidality beyond Depression: a Systematic Review of Risk Profiles and Prevention Gaps.Current psychiatry reports · 2026Pooled it
- Women's Experiences of Care and Support Following Postpartum Psychosis: A Meta-Ethnography.Journal of advanced nursing · 2026Pooled it
- Breastfeeding experiences of women with perinatal mental health problems: a systematic review and thematic synthesis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Pooled it
- Women's experiences of psychological treatment and psychosocial interventions for postpartum depression: a qualitative systematic review and meta-synthesis.BMC women's health · 2023Pooled it
- The Impact of Covid-19 on Women's Mental Health and Wellbeing During Pregnancy and the Perinatal Period: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingPooled it
- The impact of a digital self-care intervention based on mHealth on reducing sleep disorders during pregnancy: a quasi-experimental controlled study.Reproductive health · 2025Trial
- "I'm not alone": perinatal women's experiences in an online self-directed program for perinatal anxiety.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Trial
- "Stop, pause and take a break": a mixed methods study of the longer-term outcomes of digital emotional wellbeing training for perinatal women.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Trial
- Patient Activation in the Postpartum Period by Race, Ethnicity, and Spoken Language.Journal of obstetric, gynecologic, and neonatal nursing : JOGNN · 2026Article
- Article
- The silent struggle after childbirth - barriers and facilitators to help-seeking for postpartum depression and anxiety.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- Antenatal Depression Risk and Mental Health Literacy: A Correlational Study Among Second- and Third-Trimester Pregnancies.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Maternal health literacy and its associated factors among pregnant women in Western Cape antenatal clinics.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2026Article
- What helps and what hinders? Perspectives of perinatal women and healthcare providers on perinatal mental health screening in a metropolitan city in Southern India.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Mothers' understanding of and attitudes towards providing support for paternal post-partum depression.Infant mental health journal · 2026Article
- Navigating perinatal mental health care: migrant women's experiences of support pathways and the role of digital resources.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2026Article
- A structured framework for the development of knowledge, attitudes, and practices surveys addressing brown dog tick-associated Rocky Mountain spotted fever.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2026Review
- Perspectives and support needs for a spouse-inclusive digital intervention for perinatal depression and anxiety: a qualitative study.Women's health nursing (Seoul, Korea) · 2026Article
- Health care across the first year postpartum and experiences of women with anxiety/depressive symptoms: A longitudinal cohort of first-time mothers in Ireland (MAMMI).Archives of women's mental health · 2026Article
- Between stigma and support: a qualitative inquiry into help-seeking behaviour for postpartum depression care in Kerala, India.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe perinatal period is a time of increased vulnerability to mental health problems, however, only a small proportion of women seek help. Poor mental health literacy (MHL) is a major barrier to seeking help for mental health problems. This study aimed to collect the existing evidence of MHL associated with perinatal mental health problems (PMHP) among perinatal women and the public. This review analysed which tools were used to assess perinatal MHL as well as the findings concerning individual components of perinatal MHL.
methodsFour electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and CINAHL) were analysed from their inception until September 1, 2020. Not only quantitative studies reporting on components of MHL (knowledge, attitudes, and help-seeking), but also studies reporting overall levels of MHL relating to PMHP were taken into account. Two independent reviewers were involved in the screening and extraction process and data were analysed descriptively.
resultsThirty-eight of the 13,676 retrieved articles satisfied the inclusion criteria. The majority of selected studies examined MHL related to PMHP in perinatal women (N = 28). The most frequently examined component of MHL in the selected data set was help-seeking. A lack of uniformity in assessing MHL components was found. The most common focus of these studies was postpartum depression. It was found that the ability to recognize PMHP and to identify relevant symptoms was lacking among both perinatal women and the public. Perinatal women had low intentions of seeking help for PMHP and preferred seeking help from informal sources while reporting a variety of structural and personal barriers to seeking help. Stigmatizing attitudes associated with PMHP were found among the public.
conclusionsThere is a need for educational campaigns and interventions to improve perinatal MHL in perinatal women and the public as a whole.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.