Professor Joan Lalor

Summary

This COST Action is a follow on Ac tion from CA 18211- Devotion focussing further on the transgenerational consequences of maternal stress on offspring and the family. High levels of maternal perinatal stress are associated with negative effects in the offspring. The adverse impact maternal stress can have in the infants"s health is 1) in the short term (prematurity, low infant birthweight); 2) the long-term (neuroinflamation, autism); 3) the very long-term (transgenerational effects). Previous studies have reported maternal stress can have transgenerational consequences. During pregnancy, high levels of maternal stress can cross the placenta and reach the fetus. Mediators responsible for the impact of maternal stress in the developing fetus include cytokines, tryptophan, cortisol, cathecolamines, reactive oxygen species, oxidative stress and microbiota. These mediators, along with epigenetic mechanisms, are involved on the adverse consequences high levels of maternal stress can have in the offspring. In order to improve fetal development and boost infant"s health throughout their lifespan, the TREASURE project aims to consolidate a multidisciplinary and international network of scientists, clinicians, students, stakeholders, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Enterprises to achieve impact through a three-fold main objective : 1) discovering, reviewing and disseminating scientific evidence on minimize, reduce and prevent the impact of maternal perinatal stress on fetal development, and to improve psychological, medical and neural development in the offspring during their life-span; 2) bridging knowledge, evidence and experience between scientific disciplines, and bringing international research groups together to increase knowledge exchange between countries. 3) forming international coalitions to efficiently translate scientific knowledge into clinical guidelines and best practices across Europe to improve the health of children, and reducing economic cost appearing from high levels of maternal perinatal stress.

Funding Agency

COST EU

Project Type

Networking

Summary

In May 2018 the Irish people voted to repeal the 8th Amendment to the Constitution and paved the way for the rollout of abortion services in 2019, heralding a radical change in clinical practice as well as in law. A major challenge that has emerged in abortion provision is how to accommodate the right to conscientious objection while ensuring equitable access to abortion services. The right of conscientious objection allows a person refuse to engage in a particular task by reason of their personal moral objection to it. The Health (Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 provides for a right to conscientious objection. Anecdotal evidence suggests that right is quite widely relied upon, with the result that access to abortion may be limited in some locations. However, the right does not extend to certain persons who may strongly object to abortion, such as health care assistants, hospital administrators, and pharmacists. The objective of the CORALE Study is to investigate, for the first time, the operation of the right to conscientious objection in abortion services in Ireland and to develop a coherent framework for situating conscientious objection within a system of access to abortion services in a manner that is proportionate, effective and legally robust. To investigate this complex question, an interdisciplinary approach is inherently necessary, because it seeks to understand how a legal right operates in the reality of clinical practice. The Project Team spans the disciplines of law, midwifery and ethics. Building on a sophisticated theoretical framework, the Project will employ interviews, focus groups and surveys with those involved at the frontline of abortion provision. The Project will produce evidence and recommendations that will inform abortion law and policy in Ireland, but also generate important contributions to international scholarship and policy debate on conscientious objection in abortion services.

Funding Agency

Irish Research Council

Programme

Coalesce

Summary

This project involves bringing together international experts to contribute to this edited book on Childbirth Related Trauma. The focus of this book involves a new and emerging area, the field of perinatal or birth-related trauma which is relatively unrecognised. It is quite recent that acknowledgement has been given to the possibility that Birth can be a traumatic experience even when the life/health of the mother and infant are not significantly challenged. Intergenerational trauma is also an emerging field.

Project Type

edited book

Person Months

24

Summary

Funding Agency

Swiss National Science Foundation

Summary

Unlike other sources of trauma, perinatal or birth-related trauma is relatively unrecognised. Evidence suggests up to 30% of women describe their birth experience as traumatic and experience some symptoms of intrusion, avoidance or hyper-arousal. Meta-analyses show post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects 4% of women after birth and up to 18% of women in high risk groups. Rectification of this situation is essential. In 2016, 5.11 million babies were born in Europe, indicating that up to 1.5 million women may have had sub-optimal birth experiences and over 200,000 may have developed PTSD as a result. Developmental research has firmly established that the quality of infant-parent relationships is a critical factor in early and later childhood development, consequently, a family-centred approach to any investigation of birth-related trauma is critical, as trauma can be transmitted within the family system. Given the enormous economic burden it places on women, health systems, and particularly children, relatively small improvements in services to prevent, detect and treat this problem can benefit society significantly. The main aim of this Action is two-fold. The Action will establish an international multidisciplinary network of researchers, clinicians, NGOs and SMEs to 1) consolidate and disseminate current evidence and coordinate a joint effort to seek ways to prevent, minimise and resolve birth-related trauma, and to optimise emotional and psychological outcomes for parents and families and 2) accelerate the translation of that knowledge into best practices that can be shared across Europe to reduce the societal and economic burden arising from birth-related negative/traumatic experiences.

Funding Agency

EU Cost Action 18211

Programme

COST

Project Type

Network

Person Months

48