Soudabeh Givrad, MD

All Publications

• A systematic review on the assessment of pregnancy-specific psychological trauma during pregnancy: A call to action. AJOG global reports Givrad, S., Wall, K. M., Goldman, L. W., Shin, J. Y., Novak, E. H., Lowell, A., Penner, F., Day, M. J., Papa, L., Wright, D., Rutherford, H. J. 2025; 5 (1): 100451

  Abstract

  Psychological trauma negatively impacts maternal and infant health during the perinatal period. A history of traumatic experiences related to previous pregnancies and births (termed pregnancy-specific psychological trauma or PSPT) increases the risk of a host of psychological disorders. It can impede women's/the pregnant individual's relationship with the healthcare system and their developing child. There are, however, no guidelines or agreed-upon validated screening measures to assess PSPT during the perinatal period. To build a knowledge base to develop future measure(s) of PSPT, we conducted a systematic review to understand how and when PSPT has been measured during pregnancy.Searches were run in July 2021 on the following databases: Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations and Ovid MEDLINE 1946 to Present), Ovid EMBASE (1974 to present), Scopus, Web of Science, PsycInfo, and Cochrane. Updated searches and reference searching/snow-balling were conducted in September 2023.The search strategy included all appropriate controlled vocabulary and keywords for psychological trauma and pregnancy.This systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Two independent researchers screened abstracts and, subsequently, full-texts of abstracts for appropriateness, with conflicts resolved via a third independent reviewer. A secondary analysis was performed on studies measuring PSPT during pregnancy.Of the 576 studies examining psychological trauma in pregnancy, only 15.8% (n=91) had a measure of PSPT. Of these 91 studies, 53 used a measure designed by the research team to assess PSPT. Critically, none of the measurements used screened for PSPT comprehensively.It is time to screen for and study PSPT in all perinatal individuals. Recognition of PSPT should promote trauma-informed care delivery by obstetrics and neonatology/pediatric teams during the perinatal period.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.xagr.2025.100451

  View details for PubMedID 40093874

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC11909425

• Feasibility of a Mobile App-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Perinatal Skills Program: Protocol for Nonrandomized Pilot Trial. JMIR research protocols Temkin-Yu, A. B., Ayaz, A., Blicker, E., Liu, M. X., Oh, A., Siegel, I. E., Seewald, M. J., Hermann, A. D., Givrad, S., Baez, L. M., Osborne, L. M., Green, C. M., Schier, M. M., Davis, A. M., Zhu, S., Falk, A., Bennett, S. M. 2025; 14: e59461

  Abstract

  BACKGROUND: Mental illness is one of the top causes of preventable pregnancy-related deaths in the United States. There are many barriers that interfere with the ability of perinatal individuals to access traditional mental health care. Digital health interventions, including app-based programs, have the potential to increase access to useful tools for these individuals. Although numerous mental health apps exist, there is little research on developing programs to address the unique needs of perinatal individuals. In an effort to fill this gap, a multidisciplinary team of experts in psychology, psychiatry, obstetrics, and pediatric primary care collaborated to develop the novel Perinatal Skills Program within Maya, a flexible and customizable cognitive-behavioral skills app. Maya-Perinatal Skills Program (M-PSP) uses evidence-based strategies to help individuals manage their mood and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy and post partum.OBJECTIVE: This pilot study aims to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and usability of M-PSP and explore links between program use and symptoms of anxiety and low mood.METHODS: This single-arm trial will recruit 50 pregnant or postpartum individuals with mild-to-moderate anxiety or mood symptoms. Participants will be recruited from a variety of public and private insurance-based psychiatry, obstetrics, and primary care clinics at a large academic medical center located in New York City. Participants will complete all sessions of M-PSP and provide feedback. Outcome measures will include qualitative and quantitative assessments of feasibility, acceptability, and usability, passively collected program usage data, and symptom measures assessing mood, anxiety, and trauma. Planned data analysis includes the use of the grounded theory approach to identify common themes in qualitative feedback, as well as an exploration of possible associations between quantitative data regarding program use and symptoms.RESULTS: The recruitment began on August 2023. As of October 2024, a total of 32 participants have been enrolled. The recruitment will continue until 50 participants have been enrolled.CONCLUSIONS: Digital health interventions, like M-PSP, have the potential to create new pathways to reach individuals struggling with their mental health. The results of this study will be the groundwork for future iterations of M-PSP in the hopes of providing an accessible and helpful tool for pregnant and postpartum individuals.TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05897619; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05897619.INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/59461.

  View details for DOI 10.2196/59461

  View details for PubMedID 39874578

• Global variation in the assessment of psychological trauma in pregnancy. Global mental health (Cambridge, England) Wall, K., Penner, F., Wallace Goldman, L., Shin, J. Y., Novak, E., Lowell, A., Day, M., Papa, L., Wright, D., Givrad, S., Rutherford, H. J. 2025; 12: e10

  Abstract

  A history of psychologically traumatic experiences can impact health outcomes for pregnant people and their infants. The perception and prevalence of traumatic experiences during pregnancy may differ by geographical region. To better understand trends in how and what kinds of psychological trauma are assessed globally, we conducted a secondary analysis on a larger systematic review examining psychological trauma measurement in pregnancy. Through a systematic literature review conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, completed between July 2021 and September 2023 using Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycInfo and Cochrane, we identified 576 research studies assessing psychological trauma during pregnancy that were conducted across nine geopolitical regions. Most of these studies took place in North America, followed by sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East or Northern Africa, Oceania, South America, and Central America. The fewest number of studies was conducted across multiple regions. We found that most studies measuring psychological trauma in pregnancy across the nine geopolitical regions assessed interpersonal trauma, and the fewest number of studies assessed healthcare trauma. Moreover, for each type of psychological trauma assessed, the greatest number of studies was conducted in North America. We also found that Central America, Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Middle East or Northern Africa, Europe, and studies conducted across multiple regions had one-third or more studies that only used in-house assessments, rather than previously validated assessments of psychological trauma. The results of this review emphasize the need for regionally specific and culturally appropriate measures of psychological trauma for pregnant people, which prioritize the types of psychological trauma that are most common in a given region. Newly developed measures can be used for screening and treatment of patients using trauma-informed obstetric care.

  View details for DOI 10.1017/gmh.2024.152

  View details for PubMedID 39935728

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC11810758

• INTEGRATING PERINATAL AND INFANT MENTAL HEALTH CLINICAL SERVICES AND EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES AT WEILL CORNELL MEDICINE Givrad, S. ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. 2024: S68

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jaac.2024.07.300

  View details for Web of Science ID 001330511900232

• Editorial: Women in psychiatry 2023: Perinatal psychiatry. Frontiers in psychiatry Givrad, S., Hermann, A., Orsolini, L. 2024; 15: 1478300

  View details for DOI 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1478300

  View details for PubMedID 39435123

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC11491561

• Preterm infant mental health in the neonatal intensive care unit: A review of research on NICU parent-infant interactions and maternal sensitivity. Infant mental health journal Hartzell, G., Shaw, R. J., Givrad, S. 2023

  Abstract

  Caregiving relationships in the postnatal period are critical to an infant's development. Preterm infants and their parents face unique challenges in this regard, with infants experiencing separation from parents, uncomfortable procedures, and increased biologic vulnerability, and parents facing difficulties assuming caregiver roles and increased risk for psychological distress. To better understand the NICU parent-infant relationship, we conducted a review of the literature and identified 52 studies comparing observed maternal, infant, and dyadic interaction behavior in preterm dyads with full-term dyads. Eighteen of 40 studies on maternal behavior found less favorable behavior, including decreased sensitivity and more intrusiveness in mothers of preterm infants, seven studies found the opposite, four studies found mixed results, and 11 studies found no differences. Seventeen of 25 studies on infant behavior found less responsiveness in preterm infants, two studies found the opposite, and the remainder found no difference. Eighteen out of 14 studies on dyad-specific behavior reported less synchrony in preterm dyads and the remainder found no differences. We identify confounding factors that may explain variations in results, present an approach to interpret existing data by framing differences in maternal behavior as potentially adaptive in the context of prematurity, and suggest future areas for exploration.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/imhj.22086

  View details for PubMedID 37815538

• Neurodevelopmental, Mental Health, and Parenting Issues in Preterm Infants Children (Basel) Shaw, R., Givrad, S., Poe, C., Loi, E., Hoge, M., Scala, M. 2023; 10 (9)

  View details for DOI 10.3390/children10091565

• Evaluation of a course for neonatal fellows on providing psychosocial support to NICU families. PEC innovation Scala, M., Marchman, V. A., Dowtin, L. L., Givrad, S., Nguyen, T., Thomson, A., Gao, C., Sorrells, K., Hall, S. 2022; 1: 100053

  Abstract

  Objectives: Families in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) experience significant psychological distress. Fellowship training requires education on mental health issues. No standardized program exists. We evaluated the impact of an online course, combining research with family perspectives, on neonatology fellow knowledge and self-efficacy when emotionally supporting NICU families.Methods: Fellows from 20 programs completed a course covering: (1) Parent Mental Health, (2) Infant Mental Health, (3) Communication, and (4) Comprehensive Mental Health (e.g., discharge, bereavement) with pre- and post-course knowledge and self-efficacy assessments.Results: Fellows (n=91) completed the course and assessments. Pre-course knowledge was similar by year of training (1st: 66.9%; 2nd: 67.2%; 3rd: 67.4%). Mean knowledge and self-efficacy improved between pre- and post-course assessments regardless of training year or prior education for knowledge (d=1.2) (67.1% vs. 79.4%) and for self-efficacy (d=1.2) (4.7 vs 5.2 on 6-point Likert scale). Fellows who gained more knowledge had higher self-efficacy scores at post-test (r = .37).Conclusions: Current neonatal fellowship training under-educates on mental health. An online course improved fellow knowledge and self-efficacy. Our course may be an exemplar for others creating similar curricula.Innovation: An online course enriched by patient perspectives is an effective method of disseminating education around mental health.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.pecinn.2022.100053

  View details for PubMedID 37213727

• Promoting infant mental health in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU): A review of nurturing factors and interventions for NICU infant-parent relationships. Early human development Givrad, S., Hartzell, G., Scala, M. 2020: 105281

  Abstract

  Premature and medically vulnerable infants experience early and sometimes prolonged separation from their parents, intrusive and unnatural environments, painful and distressing procedures, difficulties with physiological regulation, increased biological and neurological vulnerabilities, and grow up to have higher rates of neurocognitive and psychosocial difficulties. Parents of infants born prematurely or with medical vulnerabilities, in turn, experience significant distress and are a psychiatrically vulnerable population, with very high rates of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. The combination of these factors cause significant challenges for some of these infants and parents in developing an early optimal relationship and connection. Given the critical importance of early relationships with main caregivers for infant mental health and long-term developmental outcomes, we review various targets of intervention to promote healthy infant and parent mental health and bonding thereby facilitating an optimal infant-parent relationship in the NICU population.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2020.105281

  View details for PubMedID 33229068

• Dream Theory and Science: A Review PSYCHOANALYTIC INQUIRY Givrad, S. 2016; 36 (3): 199-213

  View details for DOI 10.1080/07351690.2016.1145967

  View details for Web of Science ID 000375218400002