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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 11/2022

Open Access 29-07-2022 | Mood Disorders | Original Paper

Mental health service use among pregnant and early postpartum women

Authors: Leonie Lee-Carbon, Selina Nath, Kylee Trevillion, Sarah Byford, Louise M. Howard, Fiona L. Challacombe, Margaret Heslin

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 11/2022

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Abstract

Purpose

To explore the proportion and characteristics of women with a mental disorder who have contact with mental health services during pregnancy and the postnatal period in a maternity service in London.

Methods

Data from the WEll-being in pregNancy stuDY (WENDY), a prospective cohort study, were used. Women were recruited at their first appointment for antenatal care and assessed for mental disorders using the Structured Clinical Interview DSM-IV Axis I/II Disorders for Research. Clinical, sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics were collected. Mental health service use data were collected for the period from study entry to 3 months postpartum.

Results

Two hundred women met diagnostic criteria for a mental disorder. Fifty-five (34%) of these had at least one contact with mental health services. Moderate depression (OR 7.44, CI 2.03–27.28, p < 0.01), severe depression (OR 10.5, CI 2.68–41.12, p < 0.01), past psychiatric hospital admission (OR 3.76, CI 1.05–13.44, p < 0.05), symptoms of anxiety (OR 3.95, CI 1.86–8.37, p < 0.001) and perceived low levels of social support (OR 0.43, CI 0.18–1.01, p = 0.05) were associated with an increased likelihood of contact with mental health services in univariate analyses. However, only moderate (OR 5.92, CI 1.31–26.78, p = 0.02) and severe depression (OR 6.04, CI 1.08–33.72, p = 0.04) remained significant in the multivariate regressions analyses.

Conclusion

Only a third of women with a diagnosable mental disorder at their first antenatal appointment had any contact with mental health services during pregnancy or up to 3 months postpartum. Further research is warranted to elicit perinatal women’s views about the potential barriers to accessing professional mental health care.
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Metadata
Title
Mental health service use among pregnant and early postpartum women
Authors
Leonie Lee-Carbon
Selina Nath
Kylee Trevillion
Sarah Byford
Louise M. Howard
Fiona L. Challacombe
Margaret Heslin
Publication date
29-07-2022
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 11/2022
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-022-02331-w

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