Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38347879›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in psychiatry2024

Is the mental health of couples with twins more at risk? Results from an Italian cohort study.

Giulia Bonanni, Valentina Laurita Longo, Chiara Airoldi, Federica Meli, Alessandra Familiari, Federica Romanzi, Marcella Pellegrino, Daniela Visconti, Annamaria Serio, Antonio Lanzone and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Psychological support and postpartum depression in twin gestations: a prospective analysis using the Edinburgh Scale.Revista brasileira de ginecologia e obstetricia : revista da Federacao Brasileira das Sociedades de Ginecologia e Obstetricia · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Giulia Bonanni *Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
Valentina Laurita Longo *Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
Chiara AiroldiDepartment of Translation Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.
Federica MeliUnit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
Alessandra FamiliariDepartment of Women and Child Health, Women Health Area, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Federica RomanziDepartment of Women and Child Health, Women Health Area, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Marcella PellegrinoDepartment of Women and Child Health, Women Health Area, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Daniela ViscontiDepartment of Women and Child Health, Women Health Area, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Annamaria SerioDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
Antonio LanzoneUnit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
Elisa BevilacquaDepartment of Women and Child Health, Women Health Area, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic · ITUniversità Cattolica del Sacro Cuore · ITUniversità degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro” · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Our retrospective study aimed to investigate whether parents of twins encounter heightened psychological and emotional distress one year after childbirth, in comparison to parents of singletons within an Italian cohort. Methods: Exclusion criteria included multiparity, preterm birth, congenital anomalies, stillbirth, >2 fetus pregnancies, and pre-existing maternal mental health disorders. Out of the 300 couples (600 parents) invited to participate, 286 parents (158 mothers, 128 fathers) successfully completed a self-administered survey. We analyzed three scores separately for mothers and fathers, differentiating between singleton and twin pregnancies: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score, the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)-Y1 score, and the STAI-Y2 score. Results: Logistic models were used to assess the influence of age, BMI, marital status, education, and employment on the three binary scores (EPDS, STAI-Y1, and STAI-Y2), revealing no significant differences in absolute scores between parents of singletons and twins. Paired analysis revealed significantly higher EPDS (mean increase: 3.8, SD: 6.5), STAI-Y1 (mean increase: 5.4, SD: 12.5), and STAI-Y2 (mean increase: 4.5, SD: 12.4) scores for mothers (p < 0.0001). Approximately 10% of women and 8% of men reported suicidal thoughts. Discussion: Contrary to expectations, no substantial psychological differences emerged between parents of twins and singletons. Adjusting for confounders through univariate analysis maintained nonsignificant trends. Nevertheless, caution in interpretation is warranted due to strict inclusion criteria favoring twin pregnancies with better outcomes. Unintended bias could have resulted from routine psychological support offered to mothers of twins in our clinic. This presents an important framework for future research, including randomized controlled trials comparing parents of multiples with psychological support to those without.Finally, the elevated prevalence of depression symptoms and suicidal thoughts in our cohort underscores the importance of mental health during pregnancy and early parenting. We advocate for the screening of parents for postpartum depression and various psychological conditions, encompassing a spectrum of anxiety disorders. Those at elevated risk of mental distress should be proactively offered appropriate support.

Indexed as

maternal mental healthmultiplesparenting stresspostnatal psychological distresspostpartum depressiontwin pregnanciestwins

Identifiers

PMID38347879
PMCPMC10859489
OpenAlexW4391320817

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.