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Antepartum depressive and anxious symptoms: Association with physiological parameters of the newborn

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

D. Pereira*
Affiliation:
Institute Of Psychological Medicine, Faculty Of Medicine, University of Coimbra, coimbra, Portugal Psychiatry Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
A.T. Pereira
Affiliation:
Institute Of Psychological Medicine, Faculty Of Medicine, University of Coimbra, coimbra, Portugal
J. Azevedo
Affiliation:
Institute Of Psychological Medicine, Faculty Of Medicine, University of Coimbra, coimbra, Portugal
S. Xavier
Affiliation:
Institute Of Psychological Medicine, Faculty Of Medicine, University of Coimbra, coimbra, Portugal
M.J. Soares
Affiliation:
Institute Of Psychological Medicine, Faculty Of Medicine, University of Coimbra, coimbra, Portugal
N. Madeira
Affiliation:
Psychiatry Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal Institute Of Psychological Medicine, Faculty Of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
A. Macedo
Affiliation:
Psychiatry Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal Institute Of Psychological Medicine, Faculty Of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

The Perinatal period is a time of vulnerability for developing psychiatric disorders of higher prevalence in the female gender - depression and anxiety1. Numerous authors have proposed that maternal psychological factors could influence pregnancy course and the well-being of mother and newborn2.

Objectives

To explore the relationship between perinatal psychological disorder and physiological parameters evaluated at birth, such as the Apgar Index (AI; 1, 5 and 10 minutes), head circumference, weight, length and age.

Methods

533 women answered, in the second trimester of pregnancy (16.98±4.83 weeks of gestation), several questions about psychosocial variables, the Perinatal Depression Screening Scale3 and the Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale4. Of these, 208 (39.0%) women were interviewed with the Diagnostic Interview for Psychological Distress5. Newborn physiological parameters were obtained from electronic health records.

Results

AI was significantly (p<.01) and moderately (r≈.25) correlated with maternal anxious symptomatology, and with the experience of a stressful event in the last year (only AI 1 minute). Newborns of women with clinically relevant anxious symptomatology (>cutoff point, 14.6%) had significantly lower AI (p<.05), which was also observed in newborns of women who considered having had a stressful event (only AI 1 minute). Women’s newborns with maternal anxiety disorders during pregnancy (5.3%), had significantly lower values in AI, head circumference, weight and age of birth. Regression analyses showed that anxiety in pregnancy (symptoms and/or diagnoses) is a predictor of newborn physiological parameters, explaining significant percentages(r≈22%; p<.05) of its variability.

Conclusions

Early detection of psychological disorders in pregnancy, namely anxiety, is determinant to prevent adverse neonatal outcomes.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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