1. Patterns of maternal depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms from pregnancy to 5 years postpartum in an Australian cohort experiencing adversity.
- Author
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Bryson, Hannah, Perlen, Susan, Price, Anna, Mensah, Fiona, Gold, Lisa, Dakin, Penelope, and Goldfeld, Sharon
- Subjects
ADVERSE health care events ,MENTAL depression risk factors ,PREGNANCY & psychology ,POSTPARTUM depression ,PSYCHOLOGY of mothers ,COMPARATIVE studies ,RISK assessment ,MENTAL depression ,AT-risk people ,ANXIETY ,PRENATAL care ,PSYCHOLOGICAL stress ,LONGITUDINAL method - Abstract
The objective of this study is to describe the longitudinal patterns of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms from pregnancy to 5 years postpartum, in a cohort of Australian mothers experiencing adversity. Longitudinal data were drawn from the control group of a trial of nurse home visiting. Pregnant women experiencing adversity (≥ 2 of 10 adversity risk factors) were recruited from antenatal clinics across 2 Australian states (30 April 2013–29 August 2014). Women completed the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales short-form (DASS-21) at 11 time-points from pregnancy to 5 years postpartum. DASS-21 scores were summarized at each time-point for all women and by level of adversity risk. Three hundred fifty-nine women (100%) completed the DASS-21 in pregnancy and 343 (96%) provided subsequent data. Mental health symptoms were highest in pregnancy and at 4 and 5 years postpartum. While this pattern was comparable across levels of antenatal adversity risk, women with greatest adversity risk had consistently higher mental health symptoms. In a cohort of mothers experiencing adversity, depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were highest in pregnancy and at 4 to 5 years postpartum. The striking patterns of persistent, high, mental health symptoms, beyond the first year postpartum, can inform a more equitable and responsive health system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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