Postpartum Mental Status in Women with Social Problems at a Japanese perinatal center

Abstract

We examined the association between ‘specified expectant mothers (SEMs; pregnant women with social problems)’ at our institute and their mental status at one month after delivery. We examined 890 pregnant women who delivered at ≥ 37 weeks of gestation at our institute between January 2019 and October 2019. We excluded mothers with mental disorders requiring medication and whose children were hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit. During the study period, there were 148 SEMs with healthy babies (16.6%). The frequency of screening positive on the Japanese version of the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was higher in SEMs than in non-SEMs (P = 0.04 and 0.02). In addition, there was a strong positive correlation between scores on the two scales in SEMs (r2 = 0.41, P < 0.01). The present results indicate the quantitatively clarify of the mental vulnerabilities in SEMs.