Hall Eleanore M, Forman Susan, Ostfeld Barbara M, Shahidullah Jeffrey D
Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.
Department of School Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Midwifery. 2025 Feb;141:104275. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2024.104275. Epub 2024 Dec 20.
Doulas are perinatal support professionals who increasingly serve parents across socioeconomic levels in the U.S. Although present during a time of significant emotional upheaval, doulas receive limited training in emotional support.
Research suggests that brief clinical trainings for health professionals can prevent or alleviate depressive symptoms in women of all demographics. Such training has not been extended to doulas, who may be uniquely positioned to address perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs).
To understand doulas' perception of their clients' emotional support needs, their desire for further training in emotional support, and their training format preferences.
We surveyed birth, postpartum, and community doulas across the U.S., recruiting participants via email and social media.
Doulas (n = 252) overwhelmingly desired more training in emotional support. Nearly all doulas perceived symptoms of emotional distress in their clients and endorsed moderate-to-high frequencies thereof. Doulas expressed a preference for in-person training incorporated into foundational doula training workshops, primarily to gain skills to prevent or address anxiety and depression.
Clinical training for doulas may help mitigate the perinatal mental health treatment gap and address doulas' self-reported training needs. Such a training would a) build skills in addressing and preventing symptoms of emotional distress, and b) refine doulas' sensitivity to clients' mental health referral needs, furthering doulas' impact while remaining within their scope of certification.
As doula services become more financially accessible in the U.S., training doulas in emotional support techniques may contribute to maternal mental health equity.
导乐是围产期支持专业人员，在美国，他们为不同社会经济阶层的父母提供服务的情况日益增多。尽管导乐在产妇情绪剧烈波动期间提供服务，但他们在情感支持方面接受的培训有限。
研究表明，针对健康专业人员的简短临床培训可以预防或缓解所有人口统计学特征女性的抑郁症状。此类培训尚未扩展到导乐，而导乐在解决围产期情绪和焦虑障碍（PMADs）方面可能具有独特优势。
了解导乐对其客户情感支持需求的看法、他们对进一步情感支持培训的渴望以及他们对培训形式的偏好。
我们对美国各地的分娩、产后和社区导乐进行了调查，通过电子邮件和社交媒体招募参与者。
导乐（n = 252）绝大多数都渴望接受更多情感支持方面的培训。几乎所有导乐都察觉到客户存在情绪困扰症状，并认可这些症状出现的频率处于中高水平。导乐表示倾向于将面对面培训纳入基础导乐培训工作坊，主要是为了获得预防或应对焦虑和抑郁的技能。
对导乐进行临床培训可能有助于缩小围产期心理健康治疗差距，并满足导乐自我报告的培训需求。这样的培训将：a）培养应对和预防情绪困扰症状的技能；b）提高导乐对客户心理健康转诊需求的敏感度，在保持其认证范围内的同时，进一步增强导乐的影响力。
随着在美国获得导乐服务在经济上变得更加可行，对导乐进行情感支持技术培训可能有助于实现孕产妇心理健康公平。
