Combined effects of life course maternal psychosocial experiences on perinatal mental health

Objectives

Identifying experiences that place women at higher risk for mental health impairment is critical to inform perinatal care. This study's purpose was to identify the individual and combined association between early life adversity, discrimination, and perinatal mental health.

Study design

Prospective cohort study.

Methods

The Pregnancy and Infant Development Study (PRIDE) is a prospective cohort study that follows pregnant women in Cincinnati, Ohio through 18 months postnatal. Measures of socioeconomic factors, adverse childhood experiences, discrimination, and maternal mental health were collected at home study visits. Multiple linear regression identified associations between psychosocial measures and perinatal mental health.

Results

Adjusting for socioeconomic factors, early life adversity, and discrimination were significantly associated with perinatal mental health (β range from 0.20 to 1.64). The strongest association was observed for the association between emotional neglect and depression β = 2.53 (p = 0.006). The joint effect of high early adversity and high discrimination demonstrated the strongest effect.

Conclusion

Women who experienced early life trauma, in particular emotional neglect and discrimination, also experienced depression and distress during the perinatal period. Identification of women at risk for mental health problems should be a priority for programs that are positioned to help mitigate future consequences to mothers and their families.