Browsing by Author "Murray, A."

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    Evidence for Better Lives Study: a comparative birth-cohort study on child exposure to violence and other adversities in eight low- and middle-income countries - foundational research (study protocol)
    (BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, 2020) Valdebenito, S.; Murray, A.; Hughes, C.; Băban, A.; Fernando, A.D.; Madrid, B.J.; Ward, C.; Osafo, J.; Dunne, M.; Sikander, S.; Walker, S.P.; Thang, V.V.; Tomlinson, M.; Fearon, P.; Shenderovich, Y.; Marlow, M.; Chathurika, D.; Taut, D.; Eisner, M.
    Introduction: Violence against children is a health, human rights and social problem affecting approximately half of the world's children. Its effects begin at prenatal stages with long-lasting impacts on later health and well-being. The Evidence for Better Lives Study (EBLS) aims to produce high-quality longitudinal data from cities in eight low- and middle-income countries-Ghana, Jamaica, Pakistan, the Philippines, Romania, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Vietnam-to support effective intervention to reduce violence against children. EBLS-Foundational Research (EBLS-FR) tests critical aspects of the planned EBLS, including participant recruitment and retention, data collection and analysis. Alongside epidemiological estimates of levels and predictors of exposure to violence and adversity during pregnancy, we plan to explore mechanisms that may link exposure to violence to mothers' biological stress markers and subjective well-being. Methods and analyses: EBLS-FR is a short longitudinal study with a sample of 1200 pregnant women. Data are collected during the last trimester of pregnancy and 2 to 6 months after birth. The questionnaire for participating women has been translated into nine languages. Measures obtained from mothers will include, among others, mental and physical health, attitudes to corporal punishment, adverse childhood experiences, prenatal intimate partner violence, substance use and social/community support. Hair and dry blood spot samples are collected from the pregnant women to measure stress markers. To explore research participation among fathers, EBLS-FR is recruiting 300 fathers in the Philippines and Sri Lanka. Ethics and dissemination: The study received ethical approvals at all recruiting sites and universities in the project. Results will be disseminated through journal publications, conferences and seminar presentations involving local communities, health services and other stakeholders. Findings from this work will help to adjust the subsequent stages of the EBLS project. Keywords: Child protection; Community child health; EPIDEMIOLOGY; MENTAL HEALTH; Prenatal diagnosis.
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    The role of maternal depression symptoms and maternal attachment in predicting exclusive breastfeeding: A multisite prospective study
    (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., 2024) Costin, M.R.; Taut, D.; Baban, A.; Ionescu, T.; Murray, A.; Lindsay, C.; Secara, E.; Abbasi, F.; Acheampong, I.S.; Katus, L.; Thanh, Y.L.; Hernandez, S.C.L.S.; Randeny, S.; Toit, S.D.; Valdebenito, S.; Eisner, M.P.
    BACKGROUND: Previous research shows that 61% of children younger than 6 months in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are not exclusively breastfed. Although data on the role of pre- and postnatal depression on breastfeeding exclusivity is mixed, fetomaternal attachment might foster breastfeeding exclusivity. Thus, we tested the potential mediating role of fetomaternal attachment and postnatal depression in the relationship between maternal prenatal depression and exclusive breastfeeding. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected as part of a prospective, cross-cultural project, Evidence for Better Lives Study, which enrolled 1208 expectant mothers, in their third trimester of pregnancy across eight sites, from LMICs. Of the whole sample, 1185 women (mean age = 28.32, standard deviation [SD] = 5.77) completed Computer-Aided Personal Interviews on prenatal depressive symptoms, fetomaternal attachment, and socioeconomic status. A total of 1054 women provided follow-up data at 3-6 months after birth, about postnatal depressive symptoms, exclusive breastfeeding, and infant health indicators. Path analysis was used to assess parallel mediation. RESULTS: In the whole sample, the effect of prenatal depression on breastfeeding exclusivity was completely mediated by postnatal depression, whereas fetomaternal attachment did not mediate the relationship. The full mediation effect was replicated individually in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. CONCLUSIONS: The study results indicate that prenatal depression symptoms contributed to the development of depressive symptoms after birth, negatively affecting the probability of exclusive breastfeeding. Future research should explore this in early prevention interventions, increasing the chances of healthy child development in LMICs. Considering the mixed results around the sites, it is important to better understand the relationship between maternal depression, fetomaternal attachment and breastfeeding behavior in each site's socio-cultural context.