Ms An-Sofie Van Parys

Post-doctoral researcher

An-Sofie

An-Sofie Van Parys has a bachelor degree in midwifery, a master degree in social sciences, a master degree in family and sexuality sciences and a PhD in health sciences. After her formal education, she gained experience in working with families with a problematic background. Partly as a consequence of this working experience, she developed a special interest in mental health and interpersonal violence in the period around pregnancy and childbirth. 

On the one hand An-Sofie is currently employed as the leader of the maternal heath team and as a post-doc researcher at the International Centre for Reproductive Health at Ghent University where she is involved in several research projects on perinatal mental health, interpersonal violence and maternal health. On the other hand she works as a psychotherapist in a midwifery-practise and a hospital in Brussels where she guides women and couples struggling with psychological, relational and/or sexual challenges during the perinatal period. 
 

Publications of An-Sofie

2023 Development and validation of safe motherhood-accessible resilience training (SM-ART) intervention to improve perinatal mental health

Shireen Bhamani, David Arthur, An-Sofie Van Parys, Nicole Letourneau, Gail Wagnild, Olivier Degomme

2022 Inhoudelijk eindrapport Opleiding seksueel geweld voor de Family Justice Centers & Ketenaanpak Intrafamiliaal Geweld

Saar Baert, Lisa Fomenko, Nele Vaerewijck, Lotte De Schrijver, An-Sofie Van Parys, Ines Keygnaert

2022 Resilience and prenatal mental health in Pakistan : a qualitative inquiry

Shireen Bhamani, David Arthur, An-Sofie Van Parys, Nicole Letourneau, Gail Wagnild, Shahirose Sadrudin Premji, Nargis Asad, Olivier Degomme

2021 Safe Motherhood-Accessible Resilience Training (SM-ART) Intervention Manual

Shireen Bhamani, Olivier Degomme, An-Sofie Van Parys, David Arthur, Nicole Letourneau, Gail Wagnild

2020 A mental health care protocol for the screening, detection and treatment of perinatal anxiety and depressive disorders in Flanders

Rita Van Damme, An-Sofie Van Parys, Caroline Vogels, Kristien Roelens, Gilbert Lemmens

2019 Early detection and treatment of perinatal mental health disorders : a perinatal mental health care protocol

Gilbert Lemmens, An-Sofie Van Parys, Caroline Vogels, Kristien Roelens, Rita Van Damme

2018 Screening en detectie van perinatale mentale stoornissen : richtlijn als leidraad voor het ontwikkelen van een zorgpad

Rita Van Damme, An-Sofie Van Parys, Caroline Vogels, Kristien Roelens, Gilbert Lemmens

2017 The impact of a referral card-based intervention on intimate partner violence, psychosocial health, help-seeking and safety behaviour during pregnancy and postpartum : a randomized controlled trial

An-Sofie Van Parys, Ellen Deschepper, Kristien Roelens, Marleen Temmerman, Hans Verstraelen

2017 A systematic approach towards the development of quality indicators for postnatal care after discharge in Flanders, Belgium

Kaat Helsloot, Mieke Walraevens, Saskia Van Besauw, An-Sofie Van Parys, Hanne Devos, Ann Van Holsbeeck, Kristien Roelens

2016 What is the evidence on the reduction of inequalities in accessibility and quality of maternal health care delivery for migrants? : a review of the existing evididence in the WHO European region

Ines Keygnaert, Olena Ivanova, Aurore Guieu, An-Sofie Van Parys, Els Leye, Kristien Roelens

2016 Intimate partner violence and pregnancy, an intervention study in perinatal care

An-Sofie Van Parys

2015 Expectations and satisfaction with antenatal care among pregnant women with a focus on vulnerable groups : a descriptive study in Ghent

Anna Galle, An-Sofie Van Parys, Kristien Roelens, Ines Keygnaert

2015 Intimate partner violence and psychosocial health, a cross-sectional study in a pregnant population

An-Sofie Van Parys, Ellen Deschepper, Kristien Michielsen, Anna Galle, Kristien Roelens, Marleen Temmerman, Hans Verstraelen

2015 Fear of childbirth and risk of cesarean delivery: a cohort study in six European countries

Elsa Lena Ryding, Mirjam Lukasse, An-Sofie Van Parys, Anne-Marie Wangel, Helle Karro, Hildur Kristjansdottir, Anne-Mette Schroll, Berit Schei

2015 Pregnancy intendedness and the association with physical, sexual and emotional abuse : a European multi-country cross-sectional study

Mirjam Lukasse, Made Laanpere, Helle Karro, Hildur Kristjansdottir, Anne-Mette Schroll, An-Sofie Van Parys, Anne-Marie Wangel, Berit Schei

2015 Prevalence of experienced abuse in healthcare and associated obstetric characteristics in six European countries

Mirjam Lukasse, Anne-Mette Schroll, Helle Karro, Berit Schei, Thora Steingrims-Dottir, An-Sofie Van Parys, Elsa Lena Ryding, Ann Tabor

2014 Gendergerelateerd en partnergeweld : bijdrage van het International Centre for Reproductive Health (ICRH)

Ines Keygnaert, An-Sofie Van Parys, Els Leye

2014 A history of abuse and operative delivery : results from a European multi-country cohort study

Berit Schei, Mirjam Lukasse, Elsa Lena Ryding, Jacquelyn Campbell, Helle Karro, Hildur Kristjansdottir, Made Laanpere, Anne-Mette Schroll, Ann Tabor, Marleen Temmerman, An-Sofie Van Parys, Anne-Marie Wangel, Thora Steingrimsdottir

2014 Intimate partner violence and pregnancy : a systematic review of interventions

An-Sofie Van Parys, Annelien Verhamme, Marleen Temmerman, Hans Verstraelen

2014 Prevalence and associated factors of fear of childbirth in six European countries

Mirjam Lukasse, Berit Schei, Elsa Lena Ryding, the Bidens Study group, Marleen Temmerman, An-Sofie Van Parys

Projects of An-Sofie

Mother and child health Clinical care Perinatal Mental Health Screening and detection

Development and implementation of a clinical care pathway for perinatal mental health in Belgium (PMH-project)

Mental problems during the perinatal period are associated with a range of negative consequences such as preterm birth, mother-infant interactional deficits and negative infant developmental outcome. Research indicates that perinatal mental health problems are highly prevalent (20%). In Flanders however, a large majority is currently not being detected nor getting the appropriate treatment.


Project closed
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Interpersonal violence Sexual health and wellbeing

Training on sexual violence for employees and partners of the Family Justice Centers and the Chain Approach to Domestic Violence


Project closed
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Interpersonal violence Sexual health and wellbeing

Household survey on interpersonal violence and well-being in Brussels (VAW-study Brussels)

This project is a policy-oriented study on prevalence of physical, psychological, sexual violence, stalking and sexual harassment reported by women who live in the Brussels-Capital Region.


Project closed
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Interpersonal violence

Prevalence of violence against women in the Brussels Capital Region

Overall objective: To conduct a policy-oriented study on prevalence and characteristics of violence against women in Brussels Capital Region.


Project closed
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Interpersonal violence Mother and child health

Partner violence and pregnancy, an intervention-study within perinatal care (MOM-study)

Large-scale prevalence study of physical, psychological and sexual violence one year before, during and one year after pregnancy


Project closed
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Interpersonal violence Mother and child health Perinatal Mental Health

A European six country study on victimization, life events, fear of childbirth an mode of delivery (BIDENS)

The project aims to assess violence related factors that may influence pregnant women’s fear of childbirth and how this affects the mode of delivery, in order to improve antenatal care and maternity services in 6 European countries


Project closed
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Interpersonal violence Gender

A European research project on domestic violence against women/men in Europe (DOVE)

The general objective of the DOVE project was to collect, describe, compare and analyse documents on policies and practices directly addressing domestic violence that are being implemented throughout the participating countries


Project closed
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Interpersonal violence

Addressing interpersonal violence in Belgian hospitals

This project aims to sensitize and train health workers in Belgian hospitals in addressing, assisting and referring patients in interpersonal violence situations adequately. However, due to budgetary restrictions, the different project pathways had to be altered offering only advanced trainings and protocol development coaching to hospitals already included in the project in the previous year (2010-2011).


Project closed
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Mother and child health Clinical care

Determinants of increased Caesarean section rate in low risk pregnancies in Belgium (CS-study)

The increase of the prevalence rate of Caesarean Sections (CS) is a worldwide phenomenon, a trend that has also been observed in Belgium.


Project closed
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Mother and child health

Violence, fear of childbirth and mode of delivery

The project aims to assess violence related factors that may influence pregnant women’s fear of childbirth and how this affects the mode of delivery, in order to improve antenatal care and maternity services.


Project closed
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Health system research Mother and child health Clinical care

Maternal Intensive Care (MIC) in Belgium

The aims of the project were threefold: 1) evaluate whether the Belgian MIC-services are being used as reference centre, 2) explore whether the financial resources where use adequately and 3) evaluate the geographical accessibility of the Belgian MIC centres


Project closed
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