About the MAP Study
Methods of Assessing Perinatal Anxiety (MAP) is a study that aims to understand the best questionnaire in assessing women with perinatal anxiety during pregnancy and after birth. The questionnaire should be:
​
-
Acceptable to women.
-
Effective at identifying women who require and do not require treatment.
-
Acceptable, practical, and easy to use within the NHS and other UK health services.
​​
This was addressed by comparing four different anxiety tools in NHS services in England and Scotland through four connected projects. These projects are explained in more detail below.
​
For further information on the study, please visit: MAP Study.
Project 1
Aimed to identify assessment tools that are most acceptable to women. We interviewed 41 women who are pregnant or recently gave birth to understand their views and experiences of being asked about perinatal anxiety and mental health problems.
Project 2
Aimed to identify the most effective tool to identify women who need treatment for their anxiety and the best time during pregnancy to ask women about anxiety. We recruited 2243 women who completed questionnaires at three points during their pregnancy – approximately at 12, 22, and 31 weeks pregnant and once 6 weeks after birth. Interviews were also conducted with 403 women to compare interview responses with questionnaire scores for accuracy.
Project 3
Will determine which tool is acceptable and practical to use in health services by implementing the most effective and acceptable tool in 2 services and evaluating acceptability and ease of use in these services. Healthcare professionals will be asked about their experience of using the tool in these services.
Project 4
Will look at anxiety during pregnancy and after birth in two areas with higher rates of mental health conditions. Information from the second project will be used to identify the number of women with perinatal anxiety and who need treatment as well as factors that increase the risk of women having anxiety.