ITC Conference Grants provide support for conference participation of ITC Conference Grants provide support for conference participation of Young Researchers or Innovators (a researcher or innovator under the age of 40) from participating ITCs (see here for a list) to attend international science and technology related conferences not specifically organized by the COST Action. ITC Conference Grants are designed to reimburse costs of conferences attended by eligible Action participants.
Participants
ITC Conference Grants are exclusively reserved to Young Researchers or Innovators affiliated to a legal entity in an Inclusiveness Target Country or Near Neighbour Country. Applicants are also requested to consult the COST Annotated Rules for the updated information about ITC Conference Grants. The applicant must make an oral/poster presentation at the conference in question and must be listed in the official event/conference program. The main subject of the oral presentation/poster presentation/speech at the approved conference must be on the topic of the Action and must acknowledge COST. Conferences, meetings and other activities organized by COST/RISEUP-PPD are not eligible.
The time of pregnancy and childbirth is an extremely sensitive time in a woman’s life. Experiencing severe and prolonged stress during the prenatal period can have a detrimental effect on both fetal development and a woman’s overall obstetric situation. This, in turn, can result in premature birth, low birth weight of the baby and even, in the most difficult cases, threatening the health and life of the mother. It is highlighted that the experience of war or forced and the associated stress, anxiety, and destabilization have various long-lasting negative consequences for mental health, with high prevalence rates of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Hoppen et al., 2021; Hoppen & Morina, 2019). A study conducted in 2016 (Ancheva & Morozova, 2016) demonstrated PTSD frequency in 34.8% of pregnant women internally displaced. Another research showed increased indicators of reactive and personal anxiety, depressive manifestations, autonomic dysfunction, insomnia (Romanenko, 2020) and the risk of premature termination of pregnancy (Cox et al., 1987; Romanenko, 2020).
The war in Ukraine puts new challenges on primary care and mental health services all over Europe. As an international team of researchers, we saw the need to pay special attention to the area of women’s mental health during the perinatal period. We use screening for anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress, but also focus on protective factors that facilitate adaptation to life in a new country with so much change and loss. On behalf of the entire team of researchers, I kindly ask you to help us spread the word about the study. Respondents can join it from anywhere in the world, just click on the link: Mama – Otro sitio más de Blogs UNED. It is addressed to Ukrainian women currently pregnant or mothers of children under one year of age. Participants can receive information about places providing free psychological and lactation assistance in Poland. If necessary, we are able to help prepare the necessary material or answer additional questions.
