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Open Access 20-09-2023 | Mood Disorders | Original Article

Association between adverse childhood experiences and perinatal depressive symptoms: a cross-sectional analysis of 16,831 women in Iceland

Authors: Emma Bränn, Alexandra Vaina, Hilda Björk Daníelsdóttir, Edda Bjork Thordardottir, Qian Yang, Jóhanna Jakobsdóttir, Thor Aspelund, Arna Hauksdóttir, Unnur A. Valdimarsdóttir, Donghao Lu

Published in: Archives of Women's Mental Health | Issue 6/2023

Abstract

Emerging data suggest that certain adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with perinatal depression (PND). However, few studies have comprehensively assessed the cumulative number and types of ACEs and their association to PND. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis among 16,831 female participants from the Stress-And-Gene-Analysis (SAGA) cohort in Iceland, 2018. ACEs were surveyed with the World Health Organization ACE—International questionnaire, while PND symptoms were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (lifetime version). We, while adjusting for confounding factors, estimated the prevalence ratio (PR) of PND in relation to total number of ACEs using the Poisson quasi-likelihood model and further performed analyses for type-specific ACEs. At a mean age of 44 years (SD ± 11.1), 6,201 (36.8%) participants had experienced probable PND. Total number of ACEs was positively associated with PND (PR 1.11 per ACE, 95% CI: 1.10–1.11), also among women without any psychiatric comorbidities (PR 1.13, 95% CI: 1.11–1.14). PRs increased in a dose–response manner with the number of ACEs (P for trend < 0.001); women that endorsed 5 or more ACEs were twice as likely to have experienced PND (PR 2.24, 95% CI: 2.09–2.41). All ACE types (n = 13) were associated with PND, with most pronounced association for emotional neglect by a guardian (PR 1.53, 95% CI: 1.47–1.59). Our findings suggest a positive association between number of ACEs and PND symptoms. If our results are confirmed with prospective data, healthcare providers need to be alert of the risk of PND among expecting mothers with history of ACEs.

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Title: Association between adverse childhood experiences and perinatal depressive symptoms: a cross-sectional analysis of 16,831 women in Iceland
Authors: Emma Bränn
Alexandra Vaina
Hilda Björk Daníelsdóttir
Edda Bjork Thordardottir
Qian Yang
Jóhanna Jakobsdóttir
Thor Aspelund
Arna Hauksdóttir
Unnur A. Valdimarsdóttir
Donghao Lu
Publication date: 20-09-2023
Publisher: Springer Vienna
Keywords: Mood Disorders
Affective Disorder
Published in: Archives of Women's Mental Health / Issue 6/2023
Print ISSN: 1434-1816
Electronic ISSN: 1435-1102
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-023-01369-2

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Association between adverse childhood experiences and perinatal depressive symptoms: a cross-sectional analysis of 16,831 women in Iceland

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