Social Factors Predict Excess Risk for Antenatal Depression

Intimate partner violence, chronic medical conditions, and black race or Latina ethnicity confer the greatest risks for antenatal depression, which affects 10% of women.

In 2006, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommended that pregnant women be screened for depression (Obstet Gynecol 2006; 108:469). Knowledge of potentially causative factors would help clinicians to ensure that high-risk women receive such screening. In a prospective study, 1888 women (mean age, 30) who attended a prenatal clinic at a U.S. university medical center completed validated questionnaires designed to assess mood and psychosocial factors.

Probable antenatal depression was present in 10% of participants, half of whom met criteria for probable major depression. About 3% of respondents had probable panic disorder, and more than half of these women had comorbid depression. Among participants with sympto…

Reviewing Author

Wendy S. Biggs, MD

Social Factors Predict Excess Risk for Antenatal Depression

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Reviewing Author