Nichole Fairbrother

PhD, Rpsych

Affiliate Investigator, BC Children's Hospital

I lead the UBC Perinatal Anxiety Research Lab (PARLab). The PARLab conducts research in the area of perinatal anxiety, with a focus on postpartum thoughts of infant related harm and their relationship with infant safety and mental health, as well as screening for perinatal anxiety, fear of childbirth and postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD; an anxiety-related mental health condition).

I am motivated to working in this area for several reasons. We now know that anxiety and anxiety related disorders are experienced by 21% of pregnant and postpartum people which is much more than depression. There are excellent treatments for anxiety conditions, in particular talk therapies. Historically, significant attention has been given to understanding postpartum depression, with much less attention given to perinatal anxiety.



In our related area of research: postpartum thoughts of infant-related harm, we now know that unwanted intrusive thoughts of accidental, infant-related harm are reported by 99% of new parents, and unwanted, intrusive thoughts of harming one’s infant re reported by 50% of new parents. We also know that when thoughts of harming one’s infant on purpose are experienced as unwanted and intrusive, they are not a risk factor for infant abuse. Because this is poorly known, frequently when parents share their thoughts with care providers they are viewed and treated as if at risk of harming their infant. This can have a significant negative impact of parental mental health and family wellbeing. Our goals are to increase knowledge and improve care for parents who are experiencing these kinds of thoughts.

Academic Affiliations

  • Clinical Associate Professor, , Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
  • Research Theme: Brain, Behaviour & Development
  • Research Group(s): Mental Health and Behaviour

Contact Information

Location

Queen Alexandra Centre For Children's Health, Room 002, Perarkes Building, 3970 Haro Road, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8N 1V7

The Childbirth Fear Questionnaire and the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire as Screening Tools for Specific Phobia, Fear of Childbirth

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Nichole Fairbrother and Arianne Albert and fanie Collardeau and Cora Keeney

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19084647

04 / 2022

Screening for Perinatal Anxiety Using the Childbirth Fear Questionnaire: A New Measure of Fear of Childbirth

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Nichole Fairbrother and fanie Collardeau and Arianne Albert and Kathrin Stoll

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19042223

02 / 2022

Anxiety among women experiencing medically complicated pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Birth

Abrar, A. and Fairbrother, N. and Smith, A.P. and Skoll, A. and Albert, A.Y.K.

DOI: 10.1111/birt.12443

The prevalence of anxiety disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period: A multivariate Bayesian meta-analysis

Journal of Clinical Psychiatry

Fawcett, E.J. and Fairbrother, N. and Cox, M.L. and White, I.R. and Fawcett, J.M.

DOI: 10.4088/JCP.18r12527

Psychometric Properties and Clinical Utility of the Specific Phobia Questionnaire in an Anxiety Disorders Sample

Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment

Ovanessian, M.M. and Fairbrother, N. and Vorstenbosch, V. and McCabe, R.E. and Rowa, K. and Antony, M.M.

DOI: 10.1007/s10862-018-9687-1

Open Relationship Prevalence, Characteristics, and Correlates in a Nationally Representative Sample of Canadian Adults

Journal of Sex Research

Fairbrother, N. and Hart, T.A. and Fairbrother, M.

DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2019.1580667

When soothing succeeds: Simulating a risk for repeated shaking in abusive head trauma in infants

Infant Behavior and Development

Chen, M. and Barr, R.G. and Miller, E. and Fairbrother, N. and Antle, A. and Brant, R.

DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2018.02.004

Screening for perinatal anxiety disorders: Room to grow

Journal of Affective Disorders

Fairbrother, N. and Corbyn, B. and Thordarson, D.S. and Ma, A. and Surm, D.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.03.052

Prepartum and postpartum mothers' and fathers' unwanted, intrusive thoughts in response to infant crying

Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy

Fairbrother, N. and Barr, R.G. and Chen, M. and Riar, S. and Miller, E. and Brant, R. and Ma, A.

DOI: 10.1017/S1352465818000474

Maternal unwanted and intrusive thoughts of infant-related harm, obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression in the perinatal period: Study protocol

BMC Psychiatry

Collardeau, F. and Corbyn, B. and Abramowitz, J. and Janssen, P.A. and Woody, S. and Fairbrother, N.

DOI: 10.1186/s12888-019-2067-x

Critical incidents that help and hinder the development and maintenance of polyamorous relationships

Sexual and Relationship Therapy

Duplassie, D. and Fairbrother, N.

DOI: 10.1080/14681994.2016.1213804

Does molimina indicate ovulation? Prospective data in a hormonally documented single-cycle in spontaneously menstruating women

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Prior, J.C. and Konishi, C. and Hitchcock, C.L. and Kingwell, E. and Janssen, P. and Cheung, A.P. and Fairbrother, N. and Goshtasebi, A.

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15051016

Childbirth Fear: Relation to Birth and Care Provider Preferences

Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health

Stoll, K. and Fairbrother, N. and Thordarson, D.S.

DOI: 10.1111/jmwh.12675

A Bayesian multivariate approach to estimating the prevalence of a superordinate category of disorders

International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research

Fawcett, J.M. and Fairbrother, N. and Fawcett, E.J. and White, I.R.

DOI: 10.1002/mpr.1742

Fine tuning fear of childbirth: the relationship between Childbirth Fear Questionnaire subscales and demographic and reproductive variables

Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology

Fairbrother, N. and Thordarson, D.S. and Stoll, K.

DOI: 10.1080/02646838.2017.1396300

Correlates and predictors of new mothers' responses to postpartum thoughts of accidental and intentional harm and obsessive compulsive symptoms

Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy

Fairbrother, N. and Thordarson, D.S. and Challacombe, F.L. and Sakaluk, J.K.

DOI: 10.1017/S1352465817000765

A systematic review of nonpharmacological prenatal interventions for pregnancy-specific anxiety and fear of childbirth

Birth

Stoll, K. and Swift, E.M. and Fairbrother, N. and Nethery, E. and Janssen, P.

DOI: 10.1111/birt.12316

The prevalence and incidence of perinatal anxiety disorders among women experiencing a medically complicated pregnancy

Archives of Women's Mental Health

Fairbrother, N. and Young, A.H. and Zhang, A. and Janssen, P. and Antony, M.M.

DOI: 10.1007/s00737-016-0704-7

Perinatal anxiety disorder prevalence and incidence

Journal of Affective Disorders

Fairbrother, N. and Janssen, P. and Antony, M.M. and Tucker, E. and Young, A.H.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2015.12.082

Maternal thoughts of harm in response to infant crying: an experimental analysis

Archives of Women's Mental Health

Fairbrother, N. and Barr, R.G. and Pauwels, J. and Brant, R. and Green, J.

DOI: 10.1007/s00737-014-0471-2

Depression and anxiety during the perinatal period

BMC Psychiatry

Fairbrother, N. and Young, A.H. and Janssen, P. and Antony, M.M. and Tucker, E.

DOI: 10.1186/s12888-015-0526-6

The Canadian birth place study: Examining maternity care provider attitudes and interprofessional conflict around planned home birth

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

Vedam, S. and Stoll, K. and Schummers, L. and Fairbrother, N. and Klein, M.C and Thordarson, D. and Kornelsen, J. and Dharamsi, S. and Rogers, J. and Liston, R. and Kaczorowski, J.

DOI: 10.1186/1471-2393-14-353

Maternal frustration, emotional and behavioural responses to prolonged infant crying

Infant Behavior and Development

Barr, R.G. and Fairbrother, N. and Pauwels, J. and Green, J. and Chen, M. and Brant, R.

DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2014.08.012

The Canadian Birth Place Study: Describing maternity practice and providers' exposure to home birth

Midwifery

Vedam, S. and Schummers, L. and Stoll, K. and Rogers, J. and Klein, M.C. and Fairbrother, N. and Dharamsi, S. and Liston, R. and Chong, G.K. and Kaczorowski, J.

DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2012.06.011

Fertility and aging: Do reproductive-aged Canadian women know what they need to know?

Fertility and Sterility

Bretherick, K.L. and Fairbrother, N. and Avila, L. and Harbord, S.H.A. and Robinson, W.P.

DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2009.01.064

Reproductive-aged women's knowledge and attitudes regarding infant-feeding practices: An experimental evaluation

Journal of Human Lactation

Fairbrother, N. and Stanger-Ross, I.

DOI: 10.1177/0890334409352853

"it's all the rage these days": University students' attitudes toward vaginal and cesarean birth

Birth

Stoll, K. and Fairbrother, N. and Carty, E. and Jordan, N. and Miceli, C. and Vostrcil, Y. and Willihnganz, L.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-536X.2009.00310.x

New mothers' thoughts of harm related to the newborn

Archives of Women's Mental Health

Fairbrother, N. and Woody, S.R.

DOI: 10.1007/s00737-008-0016-7

Psychometric Evaluation of the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue Scale for Use With Pregnant and Postpartum Women

Psychological Assessment

Fairbrother, N. and Hutton, E.K. and Stoll, K. and Hall, W. and Kluka, S.

DOI: 10.1037/1040-3590.20.2.150

New parenthood as a risk factor for the development of obsessional problems

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Fairbrother, N. and Abramowitz, J.S.

DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2006.09.019

Fear of childbirth and obstetrical events as predictors of postnatal symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder

Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology

Fairbrother, N. and Woody, S.R.

DOI: 10.1080/01674820701495065

PTSD in victims of sexual assault: Test of a major component of the Ehlers-Clark theory

Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry

Fairbrother, N. and Rachman, S.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2004.08.004

Mental pollution: Feelings of dirtiness without physical contact

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Fairbrother, N. and Newth, S.J. and Rachman, S.

DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2003.12.005

Relation between prenatal maternal mood and anxiety and neonatal health.

Misri S and Oberlander TF and Fairbrother N and Carter D and Ryan D and Kuan AJ and Reebye P

PubMed: 15560315

10 / 2004

Feelings of mental pollution subsequent to sexual assault

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Fairbrother, N. and Rachman, S.

DOI: 10.1016/S0005-7967(03)00108-6

Sexual Assault of Women: Prevention Efforts and Risk Factors

Violence Against Women

S{\"o}chting, I. and Fairbrother, N. and Koch, W.J.

DOI: 10.1177/1077801203255680

Relation between prenatal maternal mood and anxiety and neonatal health

Canadian Journal of Psychiatry

Misri, S. and Oberlander, T.F. and Fairbrother, N. and Carter, D. and Ryan, D. and Kuan, A.J. and Reebye, P.

DOI: 10.1177/070674370404901006

The treatment of social phobia - 100 Years ago

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Fairbrother, N.

DOI: 10.1016/S0005-7967(01)00139-5

Sociotropy, autonomy, and self-discrepancy: Status in depressed, remitted depressed, and control participants

Cognitive Therapy and Research

Fairbrother, N. and Moretti, M.

DOI: 10.1023/A:1018796810260

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