Abstract
The first paper in the symposium on prevention will articulate the place of prevention in perinatal mental health and the emerging opportunities for the development of innovative prevention strategies which can be applied in this key developmental period. The paper will provide a brief introduction to prevention science as an amalgam of developmental psychopathology, epidemiology and public health approaches. Already a substantial body of research has been undertaken in terms of the prevention of maternal postnatal depression. This includes both intervention and cohort studies. This body of literature will be critically reviewed in order to comment on (1) the most salient and modifiable risk factors which should be targets for prevention efforts (2) what is required to demonstrate evidence of a prevention effect in terms of efficacy and (3) translation and implementation issues in terms of cost effectiveness and sustainability of prevention models. Opportunities to address early risk factors for infant development also need to be addressed by these prevention interventions. Balancing the prevention benefits and risks for both maternal and infant health and mental health is a considerable challenge. Yet the perinatal period is a unique opportunity to address trans-generational risk factors during a time when families are often willing to engage with new information and behavioural patterns are in their formative stages. This paper will consider some of the design and measurement issues which prevention intervention studies encounter when considering outcomes for mothers, fathers and infants and conclude by making a set of recommendations to guide further studies in this field.