Citation

MacLeod Hall C, Molyneaux E, Gordon H, Trevillion K, Moran P, Howard LM. J. Affect. Disord. 2019; 258: 159-162.

Affiliation

Section of Women's Mental Health, PO 31, Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jad.2019.06.062

PMID

31415929

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Self-harm is prevalent, particularly among young women, and is associated with mental disorders. However, little is known about the mental health of pregnant women who have a history of self-harm. This study examined whether lifetime self-harm was associated with increased risk of antenatal mental disorders.

METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 544 pregnant women recruited after their first antenatal appointment, oversampling those who responded positively to the depression-screening Whooley questions. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR was delivered, including questions about the lifetime occurrence of self-harm. The associations between lifetime self-harm and the presence of mental disorders, and more specifically anxiety and depressive disorders, were examined using survey-weighted logistic regression. The association between lifetime self-harm and symptoms of personality disorder, was investigated using survey-weighted linear regression.

RESULTS: After survey weighting, history of self-harm had a prevalence of 7.9% (95%CI 5.5-11.2%) and was associated with increased risk for mental disorders in early pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 5.03; 95%CI: 2.22-11.37; p < 0.0001; n = 517). Women with a history of self-harm were more likely to experience antenatal anxiety disorders (AOR 4.41; 95%CI: 1.85-10.51; p = 0.001; n = 517) and antenatal depression (AOR 2.71; 95%CI: 1.04-7.05; p = 0.042; n = 517) than women who did not report self-harm. History of self-harm was also associated with higher SAPAS scores (adjusted coefficient 0.69; 95%CI: 0.21-1.17; n = 517). LIMITATIONS: Information on the timing and persistence of self-harm was not available.

CONCLUSIONS: Women with a history of self-harm are more vulnerable to mental disorders in pregnancy. Further research should include more comprehensive assessments of self-harm and the social context of pregnant women.

Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Language: en