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Depression and other psychiatric illnesses can have a negative impact on pregnancy -- by disturbing vegetative functions, decreasing the will to adhere to prescribed regimens, and increasing the likelihood of cigarette smoking and alcohol and substance abuse. Although the notion that psychological factors alone can cause miscarriage has not been accepted for several decades, data are lacking on the prospective relation between depression and subsequent miscarriage. These investigators selected an inner-city population to test the hypothesis that depressive symptoms and pessimism are associated with spontaneous abortion.
Women who presented to the emergency department of a major urban university hospital were screened for pregnancy, and those…