“10th Anniversary of Voices Symposium” held within the scope of World Maternal Mental Health Day

Operating within Üsküdar University Institute of Social Sciences, the Maternal and Infant Mental Health Research Center (ABRSM) held the “10th Anniversary of Voices Symposium in Maternal and Infant Mental Health” online within the scope of May 6 World Maternal Mental Health Day. At the symposium, which brought together experts in their fields, current issues related to maternal, infant, and family mental health were comprehensively discussed.
 

The event, organized within the scope of World Maternal Mental Health Day, which is celebrated every year on the first Wednesday of May worldwide, was held with the active participation of academics, healthcare professionals, and students. 

Awareness process in maternal mental health discussed

Making the opening speech of the symposium, Asst. Prof. İdil Arasan Doğan, Director of Üsküdar University Maternal and Infant Mental Health Research Center, evaluated the awareness process in maternal mental health and its future vision in Türkiye with her presentation titled “10 Years from Awareness to Systematic Action: The Future of Maternal Mental Health from a Global Vision to Türkiye.”

Theoretical and clinical approaches discussed

In the first session of the symposium titled “Theoretical and Clinical Synthesis,” theoretical approaches related to maternal and child development were evaluated together with clinical experiences. Prof. Nurper Ülküer, Head of the Child Development Department at Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences, drew attention to the importance of the father’s psychological well-being in child development; Asst. Prof. Remziye Keskin, Deputy Director of the Institute of Social Sciences, discussed the protective role of psychological resilience and social support mechanisms in maternal mental health.

At the end of the session, Dr. Psk. İlknur Okay, drawing from her experiences at the El Bebek Gül Bebek Association, shared with the participants the psychological implications of being a premature parent and the importance of civil society solidarity in this process.

Protective Care Models evaluated

In the second session of the symposium, themed “Applied, Preventive, and Protective Care,” professional practices and care models in the field were discussed. Assoc. Prof. Tuğba Yılmaz Esencan, Deputy Head of the Midwifery Department at Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences, conveyed the impact of midwives' supportive role on positive birth experiences during the delivery process; Assoc. Prof. Ayça Demir Yıldırım, a faculty member in the Midwifery Department, drew attention to the anxieties mothers experience during the bonding process and the importance of midwife support.

In the final presentation of the symposium, Asst. Prof. Ceyda Öztürk from Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences, Nursing Department, evaluated the critical roles nurses undertake in the protection and improvement of maternal mental health and emphasized the importance of multidisciplinary work.

Emphasis on “Healthy Mother, Healthy Future”!

The online symposium provided an important knowledge-sharing platform for professionals, students, and parents working in the field of maternal and infant mental health. Within the scope of the symposium, it was emphasized that maternal mental health is not only individually important but also critically significant for public health.

Üsküdar University Maternal and Infant Mental Health Research Center also shared the message that it will continue its academic and social activities with the motto “healthy mother, healthy future.”