Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Sep;34(3):259-70.
doi: 10.1177/0898010115609250. Epub 2015 Oct 26.

Association of Complementary and Alternative Therapies With Mental Health Outcomes in Pregnant Women Living in a Postdisaster Recovery Environment

Veronica Barcelona de Mendoza  1 , Emily Harville  2 , Jane Savage  3 , Gloria Giarratano  4
Affiliations

Association of Complementary and Alternative Therapies With Mental Health Outcomes in Pregnant Women Living in a Postdisaster Recovery Environment

Veronica Barcelona de Mendoza et al. J Holist Nurs. 2016 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine if complementary and alternative medicine therapies are associated with mental health in postdisaster environments.

Design: Pregnant women (N = 402) were interviewed between 2010 and 2012 as part of a larger cross-sectional study on hurricane recovery and models of prenatal care.

Methods: Symptoms of depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Screen), prenatal anxiety (Revised Prenatal Distress Questionnaire), posttraumatic stress (PCL-S), and perceived stress (PSS) were examined. Logistic regression was used to adjust for income, race, education, parity, and age. The most commonly reported therapies were prayer, music, multivitamins, massage, and aromatherapy.

Findings: Mental illness symptoms were common (30.7% had likely depression, 17.4% had anxiety, and 9.0% had posttraumatic stress). Massage was protective for depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Index [EDSI] >8; adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.3-0.9), while use of aromatherapy (aOR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.1-3.2) and keeping a journal (aOR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.1-3.2) were associated with increased odds of depression. Aromatherapy was associated with symptoms of pregnancy-related anxiety (aOR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.1-3.8).

Conclusions: Symptoms of mental illness persist after disaster, when untreated. Nurses should consider assessing for complementary and alternative medicine utilization in pregnancy as a potentially protective factor for mental health symptoms.

Keywords: alternative/complementary therapies; common themes; group/population; specific conditions; trauma/posttrauma; women.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Adewuya AO, Ola BA, Dada AO, Fasoto OO. Validation of the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale as a screening tool for depression in late pregnancy among Nigerian women. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2006;27(4):267–272. - PubMed
    1. Adouard F, Glangeaud-Freudenthal NMC, Golse B. Validation of the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS) in a sample of women with high-risk pregnancies in France. Archives of Women's Mental Health. 2005;8:89–95. - PubMed
    1. Alderdice F, Lynn F, Lobel M. A review and psychometric evaluation of pregnancy-specific stress measures. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2012;33(2):62–77. - PubMed
    1. Alvarado-Esquivel C, Sifuentes-Alvarez A, Salas-Martinez C, Martinez-Garcia S. Validation of the Edinburgh postpartum depression scale in a population of puerperal women in Mexico. Clinical Practice in Epidemiological Mental Health. 2006;29:2–33. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bastard J, Tiran D. Aromatherapy and massage for antenatal anxiety: Its effect on the fetus. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2006;12(1):48–54. doi:S1744-3881(05)00089-7. - PubMed