summary: Researchers are increasingly calling for postpartum depression risk screening for women with depression while they are still pregnant.
Source: University of Queensland
Researchers at the University of Queensland are calling for screening for perinatal depression (PND) for all women during pregnancy, as women with persistent depression are at higher risk of developing the condition.
PHD. Dr. Jacqueline Keiva, a candidate at UQ’s Child Health Research Center, compared the perinatal experiences of women with lifelong major depression and found that nearly three quarters of them had at least one episode of PND.
“Of the 7,182 participants in the study, 5,058 (70 percent) experienced perinatal depression,” Dr. Kiva said.
Those who experienced perinatal depression – during pregnancy or within six months of giving birth – were more likely to have severe, complex and persistent depressive episodes and onset of symptoms.
“These women were more likely to have other mental illnesses, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and less respond to anti-depressants,” Kiva said.
Research found that they were also more likely to experience severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
Dr. Kiva described the findings as concerning.
“In Australia, PND is a leading cause of disease in women who give birth and puts children at risk of developing cognitive and emotional problems,” she said.
Dr Kiva said Australian women of non-European and Indigenous ancestry and those with a history of trauma had a higher risk of PND.
“Some of the features we identified suggest environmental influences as a cause of PND in women with depression, while others point to genetic and biological causes that may be specific to women and pregnancy. ,” He said.
“Very few PND studies have considered whether mothers have ADHD or other mental illnesses.”
“This is why it is important that perinatal depression screening be included in all perinatal exams.”
The research is published in the journal BMJ Open,
About this depression research news
Author: Press Office
Source: University of Queensland
contact: Press Office – University of Queensland
image: Image is in public domain
Basic Research: open access.
“Lifetime prevalence and correlates of perinatal depression in a case-cohort study of depression” by Jacqueline Kiva et al. BMJ Open
essence
Relationships to lifetime prevalence and perinatal depression in a case-cohort study of depression
objectives
This study sought to evaluate the prevalence, time of onset and duration of depression symptoms in the perinatal period (PND) in women with depression, according to whether they had a history of depression prior to their first perinatal period. We further sought to identify bioechosocial correlates of perinatal symptoms in women with depression.
design and setting
The Australian Genetics of Depression Study is an online case cohort study of the aetiology of depression. For a variety of variables, women with depression who reported significant perinatal depressive symptoms were compared with women with lifelong depression who did not experience perinatal symptoms.
participants
In a large sample of Paras women with major depressive disorder (n = 7182), we identified two subgroups of PND cases with and without prior depression history (n = 2261; n = 878, respectively).
Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures
The primary outcome measure was a positive screen for PND on the lifetime version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Descriptive measures reported lifetime prevalence, onset and duration of PND symptoms. There were no secondary outcome measures.
Result
The prevalence of PND in Paras women was 70%. Most women reported at least one perinatal episode with both prenatal and postpartum symptoms. Among women who experienced depression before the first pregnancy, PND cases reported more episodes of depression (OR = 1.15 per additional depression episode, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.17, P < 0.001), of non-European ancestry (OR 1.5). was more likely to do so. , 95% CI 1.0 to 2.1, P = 0.03), severe nausea during pregnancy (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.6, P = 0.006) and emotional abuse (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.7, P = 0.005 ).
conclusion
Most of the Paras women with lifelong depression in this study experienced PND, which is associated with more complex, severe depression. The results highlight the importance of perinatal assessment of depressive symptoms, particularly for women with depression or adverse childhood experiences.
(This story has not been edited by seemayo staff and is published from a rss feed)