The relationship between preterm birth and postpartum anxiety: A first-in-field systematic review
Year: 2026
Type: review
Study design: Systematic Review
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Preterm birth poses substantial risks to infant health and maternal mental health, particularly anxiety. The evidence base for associations between gestational age and postpartum anxiety has yet to be synthesised as a whole. This first-in-field systematic review aimed to investigate the relationship between gestational age at delivery and postpartum anxiety, and explore the experiences of mothers of premature infants with postpartum anxiety. MATERIALS AND METHODS: October 2024 (PROSPERO CRD: CRD42023369647). There were no restrictions on language or study design. Only studies that assessed the relationship between gestational age at delivery, or preterm birth, and maternal anxiety assessed during the first postpartum year were eligible for inclusion in this review. Initial searches were conducted by one author. Identification and data extraction of studies were performed by two different authors independently. RESULTS: Twenty-three studies were eligible for inclusion in the review. All studies were quantitative; no qualitative studies were eligible for inclusion. Data were synthesised via narrative synthesis. Taken together, the results indicate an inverse association between gestational age at delivery (preterm birth) and anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Variable timing of assessment and tool(s) used to measure postpartum anxiety, alongside limited consideration of categories of gestational age (i.e., extremely, very, moderate-to-late preterm) limit the ability to make firm conclusions about the extent of this relationship.
Authors: Semra Worrall, Tisha Dasgupta, Sam Powell, Sella Devita, Emma C. Bailey, India Pinker, Giulia Ciuffo, Chiara Ionio, Robin S. Cronin, Angela C. Flynn, Leanne Jackson, Beatriz Volpin Gomes Beato, Olivia Wood, Giovanna C. Machado-Kayzuka, Marta E. Aparicio García, Laura Bozicevic, Natalia Costas-Ramón, Philippa Davie, Leonardo De Pascalis, Rebecca E. Fellows, Roxanne C. Keynejad, Masha Maghalian, Mojgan Mirghafourvand, Hiten D. Mistry, Caroline René, Elsa Montgomery, Anjolaoluwa Awe, Lucila Castanheira Nascimento, Tatiana Dias, Zeinab El-Dirani, Alice Fulton, Gabriella Hakim, Helena Moreira, Daniela Mourão, Margaret M. Murphy, Laura K. Soulsby, Poe Nu Htay, Sofija Zurba, Michelle Anderson, Madeleine Benton, Elana Payne, Valérie Avignon, Amy Mair, Victoria Vass, Reyanne Alshammari, Billie F. Bradford, Stéphanie Catsaros, Anna M. Della Vedova, Debbie Ford, Lauren E. Heywood, Lili Peterson, Camille Deforges, Olivia Pike, Annette Briley, Francine deMontigny, Bruna Gerhardt, Marta Landoni, Sara Palma, Kydja M. Souza Torres De Araújo, Laura A. Magee, Peter von Dadelszen, Paul Christiansen, Asma Khalil, Jenny Carter, Naomi H. Carlisle, Victoria Fallon, Sergio A. Silverio
Institutions: University of Liverpool, King's College London, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, University of Auckland, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Universidade de São Paulo, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, University of Bologna, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, University of Leicester, Université du Québec en Outaouais, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, University of Coimbra, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, The Royal Free Hospital, University College Cork, Monash University, Université Paris Cité, Laboratoire de Psychopathologie et Processus de Santé, University of Brescia, Flinders University, Caring Futures Institute, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Universidade de Pernambuco, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool Womens NHS Foundation Trust
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,560
OpenAlex ID: W7129250357