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The association between maternal perinatal mental health and perfectionism: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The association between maternal perinatal mental health and perfectionism: A systematic review and meta-analysis
The association between maternal perinatal mental health and perfectionism: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Perfectionism is an important feature of adult psychopathology. In the absence of a prior review of the role of perfectionism in perinatal psychopathology, we aimed to ascertain whether perfectionism was associated with symptoms of maternal perinatal depression and anxiety. Method: We followed PRISMA guidance (PROSPERO: 42019143369), estimated weighted effect sizes and tested possible moderators: timing (pre or post- natal), scales used to measure constructs, infant gender, temperament and age; and rated study quality. Results: Fourteen studies met eligibility criteria. Perfectionism as a whole, and the perfectionistic concerns dimension, were moderately correlated with common maternal perinatal mental health difficulties r =.32 (95% Confidence Interval = 0.23 to 0.42). In sub-group analyses, perfectionistic concerns were associated with depression (r =.35, 95% CI = 0.26–0.43). We found no evidence of significant moderation of associations. Limitations: Included studies had methodological and conceptual limitations. All studies examined depression and two examined anxieties; all examined perfectionistic concerns and four examined perfectionist strivings. Conclusions: Perfectionism, namely perfectionistic concerns, is potentially associated with common maternal perinatal mental health problems. While further research is warranted, identification of perfectionism in the perinatal period may help focus resources for intervention, reducing the prevalence of perinatal mental health difficulties.

anxiety, depression, mental health, perfectionism, perinatal
0144-6657
1052-1074
Evans, Clare
77963015-cf8f-41f6-b3e8-9444e7fea072
Kreppner, Jana
6a5f447e-1cfe-4654-95b4-e6f89b0275d6
Lawrence, Peter
0d45e107-38ef-4932-aec1-504573de01ef
Evans, Clare
77963015-cf8f-41f6-b3e8-9444e7fea072
Kreppner, Jana
6a5f447e-1cfe-4654-95b4-e6f89b0275d6
Lawrence, Peter
0d45e107-38ef-4932-aec1-504573de01ef

Evans, Clare, Kreppner, Jana and Lawrence, Peter (2022) The association between maternal perinatal mental health and perfectionism: A systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 61 (4), 1052-1074. (doi:10.1111/bjc.12378).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: Perfectionism is an important feature of adult psychopathology. In the absence of a prior review of the role of perfectionism in perinatal psychopathology, we aimed to ascertain whether perfectionism was associated with symptoms of maternal perinatal depression and anxiety. Method: We followed PRISMA guidance (PROSPERO: 42019143369), estimated weighted effect sizes and tested possible moderators: timing (pre or post- natal), scales used to measure constructs, infant gender, temperament and age; and rated study quality. Results: Fourteen studies met eligibility criteria. Perfectionism as a whole, and the perfectionistic concerns dimension, were moderately correlated with common maternal perinatal mental health difficulties r =.32 (95% Confidence Interval = 0.23 to 0.42). In sub-group analyses, perfectionistic concerns were associated with depression (r =.35, 95% CI = 0.26–0.43). We found no evidence of significant moderation of associations. Limitations: Included studies had methodological and conceptual limitations. All studies examined depression and two examined anxieties; all examined perfectionistic concerns and four examined perfectionist strivings. Conclusions: Perfectionism, namely perfectionistic concerns, is potentially associated with common maternal perinatal mental health problems. While further research is warranted, identification of perfectionism in the perinatal period may help focus resources for intervention, reducing the prevalence of perinatal mental health difficulties.

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Accepted/In Press date: 16 May 2022
Published date: November 2022
Additional Information: Funding Information: The authors thank Janet Hedtcke and Rodney Denu, West Madison Agricultural Research Station, for assistance with vineyard maintenance. The authors also thank Maria Kamenetsky, University of Wisconsin‐Madison Statistical Consulting Group, for assistance with data analysis. This work was supported by funding from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (award no. 17‐14). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Clinical Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.
Keywords: anxiety, depression, mental health, perfectionism, perinatal

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 457590
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/457590
ISSN: 0144-6657
PURE UUID: 8c2e6f33-054c-4fb8-9422-c97d91b18326
ORCID for Jana Kreppner: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3527-9083
ORCID for Peter Lawrence: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-6181-433X

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Date deposited: 13 Jun 2022 16:49
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 07:20

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Contributors

Author: Clare Evans
Author: Jana Kreppner ORCID iD
Author: Peter Lawrence ORCID iD

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