**Preface to "Screening and Treatment of Perinatal Depression and Anxiety"**

This book aims to deepen the scientific knowledge and clinical understanding of perinatal depression and anxiety, which are internationally recognized as significant mental health problems for both women and men.

Among the perinatal mental disorders, depression and anxiety have received ample attention from research and clinical fields. Specifically, the first disorder, perinatal depression, has been extensively investigated in women over the last 20 years. There is a multitude of relevant research studies showing the clinical evidence of this psychopathological picture, its prevalence across several countries according to different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, the specificity of its risk and etiological factors, and its potential negative influence at several levels. Indeed, empirical evidence has revealed how perinatal depression can severely impact parental couples' adjustment, early mother–infant interactions, and mother–child relationships; moreover, longitudinal investigations have revealed a significant influence on child development and mental health, even consisting of long-term consequences up to adolescence.

The investigation and description of the clinical characteristics of perinatal anxiety have also become relevant among researchers and clinicians, especially in the last 10 years. Along with this topic, the identification of both perinatal depression and anxiety in the male population is receiving greater interest, highlighting the need to further investigate these issues in the scientific literature.

Based on these premises, the contents of this book offer a glance at the investigation of emerging research areas and those of interest in the context of perinatal depression and anxiety.

The contributions cover a wide range of topics. The first area regards the investigation of the clinical characteristics and predictors of perinatal depression and anxiety, paying special attention to both women and men and the impact of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. A second investigated topic in the book constitutes the analysis of assessment and screening tools for the detection of both perinatal depression and anxiety. The early identification of clinically relevant symptoms is crucial for the implementation of ad hoc tailored interventions. Since the development of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS; Cox et al., 1987), ample research activity has been dedicated to creating new instruments and evaluating their psychometric properties. This section further investigates the characteristics of the pre-existing questionnaires and proposes new tools to be potentially implemented in order to improve the screening processes. The third area focuses more on intervention, including critical reviews on psychosocial and pharmacological interventions for the general improvement of perinatal mental health.

The contents of this book are of interest for all professionals working in the field of perinatal mental health, with the aim of fostering the progress of research knowledge and clinical perspectives.

> **Francesca Agostini** *Editor*
