Are Providers Adequately Screening for Anxiety Symptoms During Pregnancy?

Objective

To examine the difference in prevalence of self-reported anxiety symptoms throughout pregnancy compared to clinical diagnosis of an anxiety disorder by a provider.

Design

Secondary data analysis of a prospective cohort study of 50 pregnant individuals.

Setting/Local Problem

Pregnant individuals commonly experience heightened anxiety symptoms, which are associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. However, a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder by a health care provider is less common, which may result in insufficient mental health intervention.

Participants

Pregnant individuals were recruited at their first prenatal appointment and followed until birth.

Intervention/Measurements

We examined anxiety symptoms using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale Anxiety subscale. We conducted a medical record review to examine if pregnant individuals were clinically diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

Results

Based on an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale Anxiety subscale cutoff score of ≥5, 40% (n = 20) of individuals experienced anxiety symptoms during pregnancy. However, only 16% (n = 8) of participants were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder by a health care provider.

Conclusion

Anxiety symptoms are prevalent throughout pregnancy and may be underdiagnosed by health care providers. An intervention to increase clinical diagnosis of an anxiety disorder and subsequent referral to a mental health specialist may be indicated.