Parental divorce in childhood does not independently predict maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy

The role of parental divorce in the later vulnerability to perinatal depression and early parenting stress

OBJECTIVE

This study will examine the role of childhood experience of parental divorce on later perinatal depression and parenting stress.

METHODS

546 women were recruited at less than 20 weeks pregnancy into an ongoing pregnancy cohort study and followed up in pregnancy and the postpartum. Depression at recruitment was measured using the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale repeated in pregnancy and the postpartum. Parenting stress was measured at 12 months postpartum using Parenting Stress Index.

RESULTS

This study found 33% of women had experienced parental divorce. While we did not find a statistically significant relationship between the experience of parental divorce and perinatal depression, there was a higher rate of perinatal depression when parental divorce occured at a younger age. There was no association with parental divorce and parenting stress. Childhood divorce was significantly associated with other adverse childhood experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings did not support an impact of parental divorce on either maternal perinatal depression or on parenting stress, suggesting the experience of parental divorce for children may not inevitably impact their later experiences as parents. Further research on the association with age of parental divorce and later perinatal mental health is warranted.

Association between adverse childhood experience and unintended pregnancy among Japanese women: a large-scale cross-sectional study

Unintended pregnancy (UP) can negatively impact the health of mothers, children, and families. While Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are increasingly known to affect sexual health, the influence on pregnancy intention is not fully understood. This study examines the relationship between ACEs and UP and explores other related factors, using 5049 pregnant and postpartum women data from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS). We measured participants' pregnancy intentions, ACEs, family functioning, and social network size. Logistic regression analysis provided odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The prevalence of UP was approximately 16.5% (n = 893). Cumulative ACEs were consistently associated with UP, even after adjusting for intermediate variables in adulthood. The odds ratio for UP with a single ACE was 1.00 (CI: 0.82-1.21) but rose significantly with multiple ACEs: 1.39 (CI: 1.10-1.76) with double, 1.38 (CI: 1.02-2.86) with triple, and 1.81 (CI: 1.37-2.39) with more. Additionally, bad family functioning and lack of social networks emerged as contributors to UP. In conclusion, this study showed that ACEs are potentially correlated with UP. A deeper understanding of the transition from childhood experiences to UP is important for health interventions, necessitating further investigation.

Longitudinal Analyses of Diet Quality and Maternal Depressive Symptoms During Pregnancy: The Kuopio Birth Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Depression and diet quality appear to be associated in the general population. Nevertheless, little is known about their relationship among pregnant females.

OBJECTIVE

The aims of this study were first, to investigate longitudinally whether or not diet quality is associated with depressive symptoms during pregnancy; second, to examine whether or not variation in diet quality during pregnancy predicts variation in depressive symptoms; and third, to explore how individual dietary components are associated with depressive symptoms.

DESIGN

A longitudinal secondary analysis of the Kuopio Birth Cohort Study in eastern Finland was conducted. Data were collected from pregnant females during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy.

PARTICIPANTS/SETTING

The participants were 1,362 pregnant females who entered the study between 2012 and 2017.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Depressive symptoms, as measured with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depressive Scale during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy were used as continuous variables.

STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED

The main analyses consisted of linear mixed model analyses adjusted for potential confounders to longitudinally assess the association between diet quality as measured by the Healthy Eating Index-2015, calculated using data from a food frequency questionnaire completed during the first trimester and third trimester, and depressive symptoms during the study period. An exploratory set of linear mixed models was also used to longitudinally assess the associations between selected individual food frequency questionnaire food groups and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

Descriptive analyses revealed that 12.3% of the participants had clinically relevant levels of depressive symptoms (ie, Edinburgh Postnatal Depressive Scale score ≥10) during either the first or third trimester. Longitudinal modeling suggested that depressive symptoms in pregnant females tend to remain stable throughout pregnancy. Females with a poorer quality diet already displayed higher levels of depressive symptoms during the first trimester of pregnancy (β = -.038 ± .016; P = 0.022). Variation in diet quality did not predict variation in depressive symptoms over the course of pregnancy (β = -9.741 × 10^-5 ± .001; P = 0.869).

CONCLUSIONS

Females entering pregnancy with a poorer quality diet also displayed higher levels of depressive symptoms compared with females with a higher quality diet at the beginning of pregnancy, and this association remained constant throughout pregnancy. Further research is needed to assess the direction and the potential causality of the observed associations between diet quality and depressive symptoms.