Gerald F Giesbrecht
Biographic Data
| ID | 200355 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gerald F Giesbrecht |
| GIVEN NAMES | Gerald F |
| FAMILY NAME | Giesbrecht |
| SIGNATURE | GIESBRECHT G F |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Calgary |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7259-0685 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 23 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 24 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Objective hardship during pregnancy and child social-emotional outcomes at 2 years of age in the Pregnancy During the Pandemic Cohort
Background The COVID-19 pandemic and associated stressors contributed to increased mental health concerns (e.g., anxiety and depression). Objective stress among expectant parents poses a risk for child development, with previous studies demonstrating that exposure to stress in-utero can have negative implications for social-emotional development. Objective To assess the association between pandemic-related objective hardship and psychological dis…
Perceived Everyday Discrimination and Ethnic Disparities in Postpartum Depression
Are Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences Associated with Their Preschool Children’s Sleep Disruptions? Longitudinal Mediation Through Mothers’ Depressive Symptoms and Children’s Screen Time
Although replication studies are warranted, this novel study reveals that the effects of maternal ACEs on children's sleep disruptions may operate indirectly with effects potentiated through maternal depressive symptoms, thus serving as a target for intervention
Perinatal Predictors and Mediators of Attachment Patterns in Preschool Children
Insecure and disorganized attachment patterns in children are linked to poor health outcomes over the lifespan. Attachment patterns may be predicted by variables that influence the quality of children's interactions with their primary caregivers/parents (usually mothers) such as prenatal and postnatal exposures and the children's own behaviours in interactions. The purposes of this exploratory study were to examine: (1) prenatal predictors of chi…
Prenatal maternal mental health and resilience in the United Kingdom during the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic
This study revealed increased mental health challenges among pregnant individuals in the UK during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. These results highlight the need for reassessing the mental health support measures available to pregnant people in the UK, both during times of crisis and in general
Experiences with discrimination during pregnancy in Canada and associations with depression and anxiety symptoms
Maternal Pre-Pregnancy BMI and Gestational Weight Gain Are Associated with Preschool Children’s Neuropsychological Outcomes in the APrON Cohort
This study examined the associations between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain (GWG) and children's neuropsychological outcomes at 3 to 5 years of age. A total of 379 women and their children from the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) study participated. Covariate-adjusted robust regressions examined associations between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, GWG class, interaction terms, and child outcomes. Each unit inc…
Romantic Relationship Quality and Mental Health in Pregnancy During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Introduction: Social capital is important for good mental health and the quality of close relationships is one key indicator of social capital. Examining the association between relationship quality and mental health may be particularly important during pregnancy as mental health concerns during this period pose significant risk to families. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to increased mental health problems among pregnant individuals. The …
Associations Between the Gut Microbiota and Internalizing Behaviors in Preschool Children
OBJECTIVE: Emerging evidence points toward a connection between mental health and the gut microbiota and its metabolites (e.g., short-chain fatty acids). It is unknown whether the gut microbiota is associated with the development of mental health problems (e.g., internalizing or externalizing behaviors) in preschool children. The objective of this study was to evaluate associations between the gut microbiota and internalizing and externalizing be…
Building Emotional Awareness and Mental Health (Beam)
[www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [NCT04772677]
Associations among Caesarean Section Birth, Post-Traumatic Stress, and Postpartum Depression Symptoms
Caesarean section (C-section) deliveries account for nearly 30% of births annually with emergency C-sections accounting for 7-9% of all births. Studies have linked C-sections to postpartum depression (PPD). PPD is linked to reduced quality of parent-child interaction, and adverse effects on maternal and child health. New mothers' perceptions of more negative childbirth experiences, such as unplanned/emergency C-sections, are linked to post-trauma…
Cross-Sectional Study Protocol for the Covid-19 Impact Survey of Mothers and Their 7–11 Year Old Children in Alberta, Canada
Objectives: Our aim is to understand the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on families who have been followed longitudinally in two cohorts studied in Alberta, Canada. We will examine household infections during the COVID-19 pandemic, financial impact, domestic violence, substance use, child school and daily life and relationships in the home. We will identify risk and protective factors for maternal mental health outcomes using longitudinal data t…
Elevated depression and anxiety symptoms among pregnant individuals during the Covid-19 pandemic
Improved Child Mental Health Following Brief Relationship Enhancement and Co-Parenting Interventions During the Transition to Parenthood
The transition to parenthood has been identified as a significant relationship stressor. Many couples report declines in relationship satisfaction and difficulty with individual stress and co-parenting-problems that have been associated with both child temperament as well as emotional and behavioral problems. Several parenting and relationship interventions have been developed to buffer against these difficulties. In the current study, we report …
Development of a diet quality index to assess adherence to Canadian dietary recommendations in 3-year-old children
Objective: Little is known about the diet quality of preschool children in Canada. We adapted an established diet quality index for European preschool children to align with the Canadian context and applied the index to dietary data of 3-year-old children to assess patterns of diet quality. Design: Our diet quality index (DQI-C) consists of four components that align with Canada’s Food Guide (Vegetables and Fruit, Grain Products, Milk and Alterna…
Psychometric properties of the Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Scale for use with fathers during pregnancy
Ambulatory Blood Pressure Trajectory and Perceived Stress in Relation to Birth Outcomes in Healthy Pregnant Adolescents
OBJECTIVE: An early decline in resting blood pressure (BP), followed by an upward climb, is well documented and indicative of a healthy pregnancy course. Although BP is considered both an effector of stress and a clinically meaningful measurement in pregnancy, little is known about its trajectory in association with birth outcomes compared with other stress effectors. The current prospective longitudinal study examined BP trajectory and perceived…
Developmental origins of infant emotion regulation
Emotion regulation is essential to cognitive, social, and emotional development and difficulties with emotion regulation portend future socioemotional, academic, and behavioral difficulties. There is growing awareness that many developmental outcomes previously thought to begin their development in the postnatal period have their origins in the prenatal period. Thus, there is a need to integrate evidence of prenatal influences within established …
Relations between neighbourhood socioeconomic status and birth outcomes are mediated by maternal weight
Predictors of Postpartum Depression in Partnered Mothers and Fathers from a Longitudinal Cohort
Narrative and Meta-Analytic Review of Interventions Aiming to Improve Maternal-Child Attachment Security
Early secure maternal–child attachment relationships lay the foundation for children's healthy social and mental development. Interventions targeting maternal sensitivity and maternal reflective function during the first year of infant life may be the key to promoting secure attachment. We conducted a narrative systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the effectiveness of interventions aimed at promoting maternal sensitivity and reflective …
The Buffering Effect of Social Support on Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Function During Pregnancy
OBJECTIVE: Recent studies suggest that effective social support during pregnancy may buffer adverse effects of maternal psychological distress on fetal development. The mechanisms whereby social support confers this protective advantage, however, remain to be clarified. The aim of this study was to assess whether individual differences in social support alter the covariation of psychological distress and cortisol during pregnancy. METHODS: Eighty…
The Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) cohort study
The Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) study is an ongoing prospective cohort study that recruits pregnant women early in pregnancy and, as of 2012, is following up their infants to 3 years of age. It has currently enrolled approximately 5000 Canadians (2000 pregnant women, their offspring and many of their partners). The primary aims of the APrON study were to determine the relationships between maternal nutrient intake and status,…
Psychological Models of Time
This article examines the models of time presented by Yamada and Kato (2006) and Rudolph (2006). Although we agree with Yamada and Kato that the subjective experience of time is not linear and homogeneous, we argue that cyclical models of time are not good models of representing normative ontogenetic development. We also critically examine Rudolph's suggestion that the experience of time is derived from a succession of discrete acts of attention …
Developmental origins of infant emotion regulation
Emotion regulation is essential to cognitive, social, and emotional development and difficulties with emotion regulation portend future socioemotional, academic, and behavioral difficulties. There is growing awareness that many developmental outcomes previously thought to begin their development in the postnatal period have their origins in the prenatal period. Thus, there is a need to integrate evidence of prenatal influences within established …
Relations between neighbourhood socioeconomic status and birth outcomes are mediated by maternal weight
Psychological Models of Time
This article examines the models of time presented by Yamada and Kato (2006) and Rudolph (2006). Although we agree with Yamada and Kato that the subjective experience of time is not linear and homogeneous, we argue that cyclical models of time are not good models of representing normative ontogenetic development. We also critically examine Rudolph's suggestion that the experience of time is derived from a succession of discrete acts of attention …
Predictors of Postpartum Depression in Partnered Mothers and Fathers from a Longitudinal Cohort
Psychological Models of Time
This article examines the models of time presented by Yamada and Kato (2006) and Rudolph (2006). Although we agree with Yamada and Kato that the subjective experience of time is not linear and homogeneous, we argue that cyclical models of time are not good models of representing normative ontogenetic development. We also critically examine Rudolph's suggestion that the experience of time is derived from a succession of discrete acts of attention …
The Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) cohort study
The Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) study is an ongoing prospective cohort study that recruits pregnant women early in pregnancy and, as of 2012, is following up their infants to 3 years of age. It has currently enrolled approximately 5000 Canadians (2000 pregnant women, their offspring and many of their partners). The primary aims of the APrON study were to determine the relationships between maternal nutrient intake and status,…
The Buffering Effect of Social Support on Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Function During Pregnancy
OBJECTIVE: Recent studies suggest that effective social support during pregnancy may buffer adverse effects of maternal psychological distress on fetal development. The mechanisms whereby social support confers this protective advantage, however, remain to be clarified. The aim of this study was to assess whether individual differences in social support alter the covariation of psychological distress and cortisol during pregnancy. METHODS: Eighty…
Narrative and Meta-Analytic Review of Interventions Aiming to Improve Maternal-Child Attachment Security
Early secure maternal–child attachment relationships lay the foundation for children's healthy social and mental development. Interventions targeting maternal sensitivity and maternal reflective function during the first year of infant life may be the key to promoting secure attachment. We conducted a narrative systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the effectiveness of interventions aimed at promoting maternal sensitivity and reflective …
Predictors of Postpartum Depression in Partnered Mothers and Fathers from a Longitudinal Cohort
Developmental origins of infant emotion regulation
Emotion regulation is essential to cognitive, social, and emotional development and difficulties with emotion regulation portend future socioemotional, academic, and behavioral difficulties. There is growing awareness that many developmental outcomes previously thought to begin their development in the postnatal period have their origins in the prenatal period. Thus, there is a need to integrate evidence of prenatal influences within established …
Relations between neighbourhood socioeconomic status and birth outcomes are mediated by maternal weight
Ambulatory Blood Pressure Trajectory and Perceived Stress in Relation to Birth Outcomes in Healthy Pregnant Adolescents
OBJECTIVE: An early decline in resting blood pressure (BP), followed by an upward climb, is well documented and indicative of a healthy pregnancy course. Although BP is considered both an effector of stress and a clinically meaningful measurement in pregnancy, little is known about its trajectory in association with birth outcomes compared with other stress effectors. The current prospective longitudinal study examined BP trajectory and perceived…
Elevated depression and anxiety symptoms among pregnant individuals during the Covid-19 pandemic
Improved Child Mental Health Following Brief Relationship Enhancement and Co-Parenting Interventions During the Transition to Parenthood
The transition to parenthood has been identified as a significant relationship stressor. Many couples report declines in relationship satisfaction and difficulty with individual stress and co-parenting-problems that have been associated with both child temperament as well as emotional and behavioral problems. Several parenting and relationship interventions have been developed to buffer against these difficulties. In the current study, we report …
Development of a diet quality index to assess adherence to Canadian dietary recommendations in 3-year-old children
Objective: Little is known about the diet quality of preschool children in Canada. We adapted an established diet quality index for European preschool children to align with the Canadian context and applied the index to dietary data of 3-year-old children to assess patterns of diet quality. Design: Our diet quality index (DQI-C) consists of four components that align with Canada’s Food Guide (Vegetables and Fruit, Grain Products, Milk and Alterna…
Psychometric properties of the Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Scale for use with fathers during pregnancy
Cross-Sectional Study Protocol for the Covid-19 Impact Survey of Mothers and Their 7–11 Year Old Children in Alberta, Canada
Objectives: Our aim is to understand the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on families who have been followed longitudinally in two cohorts studied in Alberta, Canada. We will examine household infections during the COVID-19 pandemic, financial impact, domestic violence, substance use, child school and daily life and relationships in the home. We will identify risk and protective factors for maternal mental health outcomes using longitudinal data t…
Romantic Relationship Quality and Mental Health in Pregnancy During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Introduction: Social capital is important for good mental health and the quality of close relationships is one key indicator of social capital. Examining the association between relationship quality and mental health may be particularly important during pregnancy as mental health concerns during this period pose significant risk to families. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to increased mental health problems among pregnant individuals. The …
Associations Between the Gut Microbiota and Internalizing Behaviors in Preschool Children
OBJECTIVE: Emerging evidence points toward a connection between mental health and the gut microbiota and its metabolites (e.g., short-chain fatty acids). It is unknown whether the gut microbiota is associated with the development of mental health problems (e.g., internalizing or externalizing behaviors) in preschool children. The objective of this study was to evaluate associations between the gut microbiota and internalizing and externalizing be…
Building Emotional Awareness and Mental Health (Beam)
[www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [NCT04772677]
Associations among Caesarean Section Birth, Post-Traumatic Stress, and Postpartum Depression Symptoms
Caesarean section (C-section) deliveries account for nearly 30% of births annually with emergency C-sections accounting for 7-9% of all births. Studies have linked C-sections to postpartum depression (PPD). PPD is linked to reduced quality of parent-child interaction, and adverse effects on maternal and child health. New mothers' perceptions of more negative childbirth experiences, such as unplanned/emergency C-sections, are linked to post-trauma…
Maternal Pre-Pregnancy BMI and Gestational Weight Gain Are Associated with Preschool Children’s Neuropsychological Outcomes in the APrON Cohort
This study examined the associations between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain (GWG) and children's neuropsychological outcomes at 3 to 5 years of age. A total of 379 women and their children from the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) study participated. Covariate-adjusted robust regressions examined associations between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, GWG class, interaction terms, and child outcomes. Each unit inc…
Perinatal Predictors and Mediators of Attachment Patterns in Preschool Children
Insecure and disorganized attachment patterns in children are linked to poor health outcomes over the lifespan. Attachment patterns may be predicted by variables that influence the quality of children's interactions with their primary caregivers/parents (usually mothers) such as prenatal and postnatal exposures and the children's own behaviours in interactions. The purposes of this exploratory study were to examine: (1) prenatal predictors of chi…
Prenatal maternal mental health and resilience in the United Kingdom during the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic
This study revealed increased mental health challenges among pregnant individuals in the UK during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. These results highlight the need for reassessing the mental health support measures available to pregnant people in the UK, both during times of crisis and in general
Experiences with discrimination during pregnancy in Canada and associations with depression and anxiety symptoms
Objective hardship during pregnancy and child social-emotional outcomes at 2 years of age in the Pregnancy During the Pandemic Cohort
Background The COVID-19 pandemic and associated stressors contributed to increased mental health concerns (e.g., anxiety and depression). Objective stress among expectant parents poses a risk for child development, with previous studies demonstrating that exposure to stress in-utero can have negative implications for social-emotional development. Objective To assess the association between pandemic-related objective hardship and psychological dis…
Perceived Everyday Discrimination and Ethnic Disparities in Postpartum Depression
Are Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences Associated with Their Preschool Children’s Sleep Disruptions? Longitudinal Mediation Through Mothers’ Depressive Symptoms and Children’s Screen Time
Although replication studies are warranted, this novel study reveals that the effects of maternal ACEs on children's sleep disruptions may operate indirectly with effects potentiated through maternal depressive symptoms, thus serving as a target for intervention
Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum (19 works) · Medicine (18 works) · Psychiatry (16 works) · Psychology (15 works) · Pregnancy (14 works) · Clinical Psychology (12 works) · Mental health (9 works) · Anxiety (8 works) · Clinical Psychology (8 works) · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development (7 works)