Project

Region	National coverage
Title of the Programme	Health
Title of the Project	Pregnancy without psychosocial stress - the earliest prevention of mental disorders and toxic stress in children
Number of the Project	ZD-ZDOVA1-018
Project Promoter	National Institute of Mental Health - Czech Republic
Project Partner from Donor State	N/A
Czech Partner	Mom´s Smile
Status	Estimated project duration: 02/2021 – 01/2024
More Information	Target group: Unborn and early postnatal children, pregnant women and mothers, peer consultants in perinatal mental health, professionals Web pages: https://perinatal.cz/ https://www.facebook.com/Perinatal.cz https://www.instagram.com/perinatal.cz/
Total Eligible Costs	424 854 EUR
Grant	424 854 EUR

Project description:

The project is aimed at children who are exposed to the toxic psychosocial stress present in their mothers during pregnancy or after childbirth. Due to psychosocial stress in their mothers, these children are at risk of developing a mental disorder or having impaired psychosocial development.

In Czechia, there is no prevention of psychosocial stress in women, which also plays a preventive role in the development of mental disorders in their children. Mental disorders in parents are stigmatized in Czechia, which prevents parents from seeking care.

We want to change this situation, so we will:

1. create and pilot a screening program for psychosocial stress in perinatal women in gynecological clinics
2. connect the screening program to the integrated step care system created by us, including peer support, which we will pilot test
3. organize information and destigmatization activities on the topic: "Pregnancy without psychosocial stress - the basis for healthy development of the child."

The aim of the project is to bring new tested methodologies, thanks to which we can find women experiencing perinatal stress and reduce this stress in them. In this way, we will also reduce the stress to which their children are exposed. Another goal is to raise the awareness about mental disorders in parents and reduce the stigma associated with it. Our project is in line with the National Action Plan for Mental Health 2020-2030 and the Reform of Psychiatric Care.

Children who are affected by perinatal psychosocial stress and mental disorders in their mothers will benefit from the implementation of the project. The project is relized in partnership with the patient organization Usmev Mamy, which has been building specific know-how about the target group since 2014. The National Institute of Mental Health has been cooperating with Usmev Mamy since 2019.