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Relationship of prenatal depression and comorbidities to infant outcomes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 December 2015

Heather A. Flynn ,
Nicole McBride ,
Aura Cely ,
Yuxia Wang  and
Julie DeCesare
Heather A. Flynn*
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Nicole McBride
Affiliation:
Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Aura Cely
Affiliation:
Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Yuxia Wang
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Julie DeCesare
Affiliation:
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Florida State University College of Medicine at Sacred Heart Hospital, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
*
*Address for correspondence: Heather A. Flynn, PhD, Florida State University, 1115 West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA. (Email: heather.flynn@med.fsu.edu)
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Abstract

Objective

The purpose of this study was to provide information on the effect of prenatal depression and anxiety as assessed in the context of obstetrical care on key infant outcomes (gestational age at birth, birth weight, and APGAR scores), while simultaneously considering interactions with maternal medical conditions among primarily Medicaid enrollees.

Methods

Obstetrical medical records of 419 women presenting consecutively for prenatal care at a health system serving primarily Medicaid patients were examined. Information on maternal characteristics (age, race, education) and maternal medical health (BMI, high blood pressure, diabetes, and kidney problems), as well as mental health information, was extracted. Depression was assessed as part of routine care using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and any documentation of depression or anxiety by the obstetrics clinician was also used in the analyses.

Results

Approximately one-third of the sample showed some evidence of prenatal depression, either based on PHQ-9 score (≥10) or clinician documentation of depression, and close to 10% showed evidence of anxiety. Multivariate analyses showed significant interactions between depression and anxiety on gestational age and birth weight, between depression and high blood pressure on gestational age, and also between anxiety and kidney problems on gestational age.

Conclusion

Among this sample, the effect of maternal depression and anxiety on birth outcomes was more evident when considered along with maternal chronic medical conditions. This information may be used to assist prenatal care clinicians to develop risk assessment based on knowledge of multiple risk factors that may exert and additive influence on poor birth outcomes.

Keywords

Anxietyinfant outcomesmedical comorbidityprenatal depression
Type
Original Research
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 20 , Issue 1 , February 2015 , pp. 20 - 28
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2014 

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Footnotes

This work was funded by a Seed Grant from the Florida State University College of Medicine. The authors wish to thank Dr. Myra Hurt and Gesnyr Ocean for their support of this work.

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