Maternal peripartum stress: A new consensus-based definition
AI Summary
Peripartum is a period of increased vulnerability to stress for women, necessitating clearer conceptualisation and clinical attention.
No prior consensus definition existed; TREASURE (COST Action 22114) used a qualitative Delphi with 161 international researchers and clinicians to define it.
The agreed definition fosters a shared understanding to enable targeted research and evidence based clinical practice to improve perinatal care.
Arch Womens Ment Health. 2026 Jul 1;29(4):100. doi: 10.1007/s00737-026-01741-y.
ABSTRACT
The peripartum period is a time of increased vulnerability to stress for women, yet no consensus definition of maternal peripartum stress exists. This paper reports work from European COST Action 22114 (TREASURE), which identified key concepts related to maternal peripartum stress in the literature and developed a consensus definition via a qualitative Delphi process involving 161 international researchers and clinicians. The resulting definition supports a shared understanding, enabling more targeted research and evidence-based clinical practice to improve perinatal care.
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