Repérage de la dépression prénatale dans un échantillon de femmes françaises : liens avec la détresse psychologique, l’anxiété et le soutien social perçu

Prenatal attachment in women with twin versus singleton pregnancy: Socio-demographic, mental health and pregnancy-related predictors

BACKGROUND

While twin pregnancy (TP) is associated with increased maternal physical and psychological risks, little is known about how this context interferes with prenatal attachment.

AIMS

To compare the level of prenatal attachment between women with TP and singleton pregnancy (SP), and to investigate socio-demographic, maternal mental health and pregnancy-related predictors.

STUDY DESIGN

Case-control study in a university hospital.

SUBJECTS

119 women with TP during their last trimester of pregnancy versus 103 women with SP.

OUTCOME MEASURES

The Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI), the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), in addition to the collection of general socio-demographic and medical data.

RESULTS

The mean PAI total score did not significantly differ between the two groups. In the group of women with TP, low but statistically significant correlations were found between the PAI total score and the EPDS total score (r = -0.21) and with maternal age (r = -0.20).

CONCLUSIONS

No major difference in prenatal attachment was found in women TP compared to those with SP. A higher level of depressive symptoms is worth considering to explore the risk of suboptimal attachment in this population. Questions were raised about the applicability of usual measures of prenatal attachment in this context.

Maternal Mental Health Care Matters: The Impact of Prenatal Depressive and Anxious Symptoms on Child Emotional and Behavioural Trajectories in the French EDEN Cohort

Few studies have investigated longitudinal trajectories of child socioemotional and behavioural development in relation to maternal prenatal mental health exposure or taken into consideration of the potential buffering effects of psychological intervention during pregnancy. Using data from 1135 mother-child dyads from the EDEN cohort from the general French population, Group-based trajectory modelling was used to model trajectories of behavioural and emotional characteristics measured at four timepoints via a parent-administered Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Using propensity scores and inverse probability weighting to account for confounding factors, multinomial logistic regressions were used to quantify the associations with maternal symptoms of prenatal depression and anxiety. Stratified analyses were conducted by reporting psychologist and psychiatrist consultations during pregnancy. Compared to those without psychological problems, children of mothers with comorbid anxiety and depression retained a higher probability of following high and intermediate trajectories of emotional problems and a high trajectory of conduct problems throughout childhood. This increased risk was not present in the children of mothers who sought support through a prenatal psychologist or psychiatrist consultation. This article adds to a body of evidence underlining the importance of mental health care for expecting mothers.

Self-esteem, psychological distress, and coping styles in pregnant smokers and non-smokers

The literature underscores that psychological factors could play an important role in smoking behavior, which is considered a coping mechanism. To study relations among measures of self-esteem, psychological distress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and coping styles in pregnant smokers, a cross-sectional study was conducted. These factors were assessed in two groups of pregnant women (Smokers, n = 40; Non-smokers, n = 40) contacted at one University Hospital in Paris. All participants filled out the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, the General Health Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale, and the Brief Cope Scale. Comparisons, correlations, and regression models were used to analyze the data. The results showed that the group of pregnant women who smoked had significantly lower mean self-esteem, elevated psychological distress and anxiety scores, and reported using more emotion-focused coping than the group of pregnant non-smokers. Self-esteem significantly predicted problem-focused coping. This study confirms the importance of assessing these psychological variables to offer women more specific support to quit smoking.