Kimberly C Thomson1,2, Helena Romaniuk3, Christopher J Greenwood1,4, Primrose Letcher2, Elizabeth Spry1,4, Jacqui A Macdonald1,2,4, Helena M McAnally5, George J Youssef1,4, Jennifer McIntosh1,2,4,6, Delyse Hutchinson1,2,4,7, Robert J Hancox5, George C Patton2,4, Craig A Olsson1,2,4. 1. Deakin University Geelong, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Victoria, Australia. 2. Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital Campus, Parkville Victoria, Australia. 3. Deakin University, Faculty of Health, Biostatistics Unit, Geelong, Australia. 4. Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, The Royal Children's Hospital Campus, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. 5. University of Otago, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin, New Zealand. 6. La Trobe University, Department of Psychology, The Bouverie Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 7. National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Rates of common mental health problems (depression/anxiety) rise sharply in adolescence and peak in young adulthood, often coinciding with the transition to parenthood. Little is known regarding the persistence of common mental health problems from adolescence to the perinatal period in both mothers and fathers. METHODS: A total of 393 mothers (686 pregnancies) and 257 fathers (357 pregnancies) from the intergenerational Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 Study completed self-report assessments of depression and anxiety in adolescence (ages 13-14, 15-16, 17-18 years) and young adulthood (ages 19-20, 23-24, 27-28 years). The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to assess depressive symptoms at 32 weeks pregnancy and 12 months postpartum in mothers, and at 12 months postpartum in fathers. RESULTS: Most pregnancies (81%) in which mothers reported perinatal depression were preceded by a history of mental health problems in adolescence or young adulthood. Similarly, most pregnancies (83%) in which fathers reported postnatal depression were preceded by a preconception history of mental health problems. After adjustment for potential confounders, the odds of self-reporting perinatal depression in both women and men were consistently higher in those with a history of persistent mental health problems across adolescence and young adulthood than those without (ORwomen 5.7, 95% CI 2.9-10.9; ORmen 5.5, 95% CI 1.03-29.70). CONCLUSIONS: Perinatal depression, for the majority of parents, is a continuation of mental health problems with onsets well before pregnancy. Strategies to promote good perinatal mental health should start before parenthood and include both men and women.
BACKGROUND: Rates of common mental health problems (depression/anxiety) rise sharply in adolescence and peak in young adulthood, often coinciding with the transition to parenthood. Little is known regarding the persistence of common mental health problems from adolescence to the perinatal period in both mothers and fathers. METHODS: A total of 393 mothers (686 pregnancies) and 257 fathers (357 pregnancies) from the intergenerational Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 Study completed self-report assessments of depression and anxiety in adolescence (ages 13-14, 15-16, 17-18 years) and young adulthood (ages 19-20, 23-24, 27-28 years). The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to assess depressive symptoms at 32 weeks pregnancy and 12 months postpartum in mothers, and at 12 months postpartum in fathers. RESULTS: Most pregnancies (81%) in which mothers reported perinatal depression were preceded by a history of mental health problems in adolescence or young adulthood. Similarly, most pregnancies (83%) in which fathers reported postnatal depression were preceded by a preconception history of mental health problems. After adjustment for potential confounders, the odds of self-reporting perinatal depression in both women and men were consistently higher in those with a history of persistent mental health problems across adolescence and young adulthood than those without (ORwomen 5.7, 95% CI 2.9-10.9; ORmen 5.5, 95% CI 1.03-29.70). CONCLUSIONS: Perinatal depression, for the majority of parents, is a continuation of mental health problems with onsets well before pregnancy. Strategies to promote good perinatal mental health should start before parenthood and include both men and women.
Entities:
Keywords:
Adolescence; cohort studies; intergenerational; longitudinal data analysis
Authors: J A Macdonald; C Greenwood; P Letcher; E A Spry; H M McAnally; K Thomson; D Hutchinson; G J Youssef; J McIntosh; R J Hancox; G C Patton; C A Olsson Journal: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol Date: 2020-10-01 Impact factor: 4.328
Authors: Elizabeth A Spry; Margarita Moreno-Betancur; Melissa Middleton; Louise M Howard; Stephanie J Brown; Emma Molyneaux; Christopher J Greenwood; Primrose Letcher; Jacqui A Macdonald; Kimberly C Thomson; Ebony J Biden; Craig A Olsson; George C Patton Journal: Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci Date: 2021-05-03 Impact factor: 6.671
Authors: Jacqui A Macdonald; Christopher J Greenwood; Lauren M Francis; Tessa R Harrison; Liam G Graeme; George J Youssef; Laura Di Manno; Helen Skouteris; Richard Fletcher; Tess Knight; Joanne Williams; Jeannette Milgrom; Craig A Olsson Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2020-11-23 Impact factor: 4.157
Authors: Craig A Olsson; Primrose Letcher; Christopher J Greenwood; Jennifer E McIntosh; Sophie Barker; Catherine M Olsson; Jacqui A Macdonald; Elizabeth A Spry; Delyse Hutchinson; Joanne Ryan; Benjamin Edwards; Rob McGee; George C Patton; Ann V Sanson Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2022-09-16 Impact factor: 3.006