Understanding the economic value of interventions that address perinatal mental health problems: literature review and methodological considerations

Bauer, Annette ORCID: 0000-0001-5156-1631 (2025) Understanding the economic value of interventions that address perinatal mental health problems: literature review and methodological considerations. Value in Health. ISSN 1098-3015 (In Press)

Text (Bauer_et_al_VIH_1.3_REV 01Jan25) - Accepted Version Pending embargo until 1 January 2100. Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (365kB)

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Abstract

Objectives: Economic evaluations of mental health problems typically only include short-term measures from an individual healthcare perspective. In perinatal mental health, which spans generations, this is likely to lead to an underestimation of interventions’ potential benefits. We sought to understand the spectrum of outcomes of perinatal mental health problems that have economic consequences and how they are captured in economic evaluations. Methods: We conducted a systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature to identify 2 types of evidence: (1) synthesized evidence (ie, systematic reviews and meta-analyses) or recent cohort studies that measured the outcomes of perinatal mental health problems and (2) economic evaluations. After presenting the evidence narratively, we derive an overview of different types of outcomes to include in economic evaluations. Results: Evidence on the many, wide-ranging adverse outcomes with short- and long-term economic consequences is rich, ranging from those that can be measured during the perinatal period (eg, mother's employment), those that require a longer-term follow-up period (eg, children's mental health service use), and those that can be used as predictors in modeling studies (eg, birth weight). Only a small subset of economic consequences and their predictors (eg, child maltreatment and poor attachment) are currently measured in economic evaluations. We make some recommendations on how more and new types of economic evaluations might start addressing the gap in knowledge. Conclusions: To inform decisions about reducing the costs of perinatal mental health problems, economic evaluations that provide knowledge of the ability of interventions to reduce short- and long-term economic consequences are urgently needed.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2025 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, Inc.
Divisions:	Care Policy and Evaluation Centre
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory
Date Deposited:	28 Jan 2025 11:12
Last Modified:	10 Mar 2025 14:45
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/127084

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