Perinatal Mental Health (8680.2)

Please note these are the 2018 details for this unit
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Perinatal Mental Health
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Health
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
Discipline Of Midwifery Level 3 - Undergraduate Advanced Unit Band 1 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 1 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
This unit focuses on the mental health and well-being of women and their families during pregnancy and the first year after the birth. It is within this framework that students will examine the major risk factors, indicators, treatment approaches, and on-going management in relation to women with perinatal mental health problems. Learning will be interactive, experiential, and directed toward developing knowledge, understanding and skills that enable the practitioner to provide evidence-based care for women, their babies, their partners, and their families.

This unit will be co-taught with Perinatal Mental Health PG.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Discuss the mental health problems experienced by women and their partners during pregnancy and in the first year after the birth of a baby;
2. Critically evaluate the major approaches related to the assessment, care and treatment of women with perinatal mental health problems;
3. Examine the support services available for women and their families; and
4. Identify referral pathways for women who require specialist care.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development


Prerequisites

Growing a Family AND Sharing Knowledge in Midwifery AND After Birth: Complexity in Early Parenting.

Corequisites

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
Not available

Required texts

Raynor, M., & England, C. (2010). Psychology for midwives: Pregnancy, Childbirth and Puerperium. New York: Open University Press.

Additional suggested reading/resources:

Austin M-P, Highet N and the Expert Working Group (2017) Mental Health Care in the Perinatal Period: Australian Clinical Practice Guideline. Melbourne: Centre of Perinatal Excellence. Retrieved from:  https://www.cope.org.au/health-professionals/health-professionals-3/
 
 
COPE, Centre Of Perinatal Excelllence:  https://www.cope.org.au/health-professionals/
 
Carlin, E., Atkinson, D., & Marley, J. V. (2019). 'Having a Quiet Word': Yarning with Aboriginal Women in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia about Mental Health and Mental Health Screening during the Perinatal Period. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(21), 4253. 
 
de Bruijn, L., Stramrood, C. A., Lambregtse-van den Berg, M. P., & Rius Ottenheim, N. (2020). Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder following childbirth. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 41(1), 5-14
 
Griffiths, J., Lever Taylor, B., Morant, N., Bick, D., Howard, L. M., Seneviratne, G., & Johnson, S. (2019). A qualitative comparison of experiences of specialist mother and baby units versus general psychiatric wards. BMC PSYCHIATRY, 19(1), 
 
Gutteridge, K. (2011). Maternal mental health and psychological problems. In Macdonald, S., & Magill-Cuerden, J. (Eds). Mayes Midwifery, (14th edn). Edinburgh: Elsevier.
 
Ho, F., & Mussap, A. J. (2017). Transgender Mental Health in Australia: Satisfaction with Practitioners and the Standards of Care: Transgender mental health. Australian Psychologist, 52(3), 209-218.  
 
Holland, C. (2018). The midwife's role in suicide prevention. British Journal of Midwifery, 26(1), 44-50. 
 
Jordan, S. (2010). Pharmacology for midwives: The evidence base for safe practice. Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke.
 
Lemon, E., Vanderkruik, R., Arch, J. J., & Dimidjian, S. A. (2020). Treating Anxiety During Pregnancy: Patient Concerns About Pharmaceutical Treatment. Maternal and child health journal, 24(4), 439-446. 
 
Molenaar, N. M., Kamperman, A. M., Boyce, P., & Bergink, V. (2018). Guidelines on treatment of perinatal depression with antidepressants: An international review.  Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry, 52(4), 320-327. 
 
Morrow, J. (2019). Complications in the postnatal period for the mother. In Pairman, S., Tracy, S., Dahlen H., & Dixon, L. (Eds).  Midwifery: preparation for practice, (4e) (pp. 993-1015). Sydney: Elsevier.
 
Ogbo, F. A., Kingsley Ezeh, O., Dhami, M. V., Naz, S., Khanlari, S., McKenzie, A., . . . Eastwood, J. (2019). Perinatal Distress and Depression in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Australian Women: The Role of Psychosocial and Obstetric Factors. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(16), 2945. 
 
Raynor, M., & Oates, M. (2014). Perinatal Mental Health. In Marshall, J., & Raynor, M. (Eds),  Myles: A textbook for midwives. (16 th ed.). Edinburgh, Elsevier. 
 
Schmied, V. & Dixon, L. (2019). Women's psychological Health and wellbeing. In Pairman, S., Tracy, S., Dahlen, H,. & Dixon, L. (Eds).  Midwifery: preparation for practice, (4e) (pp. 759-781). Sydney: Elsevier.
 
Sved Williams, A. E. (2017). Perinatal and infant mental health in Australia: moving forward towards REAL prevention and early intervention – can we do it? Australasian Psychiatry, 25(3), 274-276. 

You are encouraged to access up to date information from journals including, but not limited to the following:

  • Archives of Women's Mental Health
  • British Journal of Midwifery
  • Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology
  • Midwifery
  • The Practicing Midwife
  • Women and Birth
  • UpToDate

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

All assessments must be submitted to pass the unit. 

Students must achieve an overall mark of 50% to pass the unit.

Requests for extensions must be emailed to the unit convener at least one week prior to the due date. 

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

Workload

The amount of time you will need to spend on study in this unit will depend on a number of factors including your prior knowledge, learning skill level and learning style. Nevertheless, in planning your time commitments you should note that for a 3cp unit the total notional workload over the semester or term is assumed to be 150 hours. These hours include time spent in classes.

Inclusion and engagement

Inclusion and Welfare

Students who need assistance in undertaking the unit because of disability or other circumstances should inform their Unit Convener or Inclusion and Welfare as soon as possible so the necessary arrangements can be made.

Participation requirements

Attendance at classes is compulsory in this course, as per the Bachelor of Midwifery curriculum approved by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council in 2018.  Because we understand that students have multi-roled lives, two seminar absences  will be accepted.  However, these absences are tolerated based on the expectation that students will seek out information on content and processes which they have missed, from Canvas and other sources.  If students regularly miss timetabled seminars, they may be expected to write a 500 word synopsis about their learning on the topic/s of any missed sessions (beyond the two) for possible submission to the Unit Convener. 

Required IT skills

None

In-unit costs

None

Work placement, internships or practicums

None

Additional information

Referencing requirements

Students must use APA 7th referencing style throughout their assignments.

For more information access referencing styles from the UC library website: https://canberra.libguides.com/referencing