• Project status: Active
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This study explores the experiences of over 1,500 first-time mothers and their first-born children from pregnancy to age 18.

The Mothers' and Young People's Study is a multi-wave, prospective cohort study initially designed to investigate women's health after childbirth.

The Mothers' and Young People's Study is a multi-wave, prospective cohort study initially designed to investigate women's health after childbirth.

Overview

Maternal health is critical to the health and wellbeing of children and families, but is rarely the primary focus of pregnancy and birth cohort studies.

The Mothers' and Young People's Study is a multi-wave, prospective cohort study initially designed to investigate women's health after childbirth. Over time, the study has expanded to include an investigation of children's and young people's health and wellbeing and the extent to which mothers' and children's health are inextricably linked. Over 1,500 women were recruited to the study from six Melbourne metropolitan hospitals between 2003-2005. 

Mothers' and Young People's Study - young people’s experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic 

In the early years of the study, the focus was on women's health and recovery after childbirth. Women taking part in the study completed questionnaires and telephone interviews in early and late pregnancy and at three, six, nine, 12 and 18 months postpartum. The study was then extended to include follow-up at four, ten, and eighteen years postpartum. 

We have collected data on common maternal physical and psychological health problems, including incontinence, sexual health problems, depression, anxiety and intimate partner violence, and on a range of child health and developmental outcomes. We have also collected information regarding the social context of women and children and changing life circumstances as the children grow up. Evidence from the study has already highlighted the importance of ongoing primary care and support for mothers extending well beyond the first year after childbirth.

In 2020, we invited mothers and their first-born children (aged 14-17 years) to take part in a COVID sub-study to tell us about their experiences during repeated periods of lockdown. Currently, we are following up mothers and young people in the study as the young people turn 18 years of age.

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