Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with deleterious effects on mental health in pregnancy.

Methods: The ACE International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) was used to measure neglect, abuse, and household dysfunction. Longitudinal mixed effect modelling was used to test the effect of ACEs on pregnancy-related anxiety, depressive symptoms, and perceived stress at two time points (12-19 and 22-29 weeks) during pregnancy.

Results: A total of 215 women who were predominantly married (81%) and had attained tertiary education (96%) were enrolled. Total ACEs were significantly associated with depressive symptoms (r = 0.23, < 0.05) and perceived stress (r = 0.18, < 0.05). As depressive symptoms decreased, t (167) = -8.44, < 0.001, perceived stress increased, t (167) = 4.60, < 0.001, and pregnancy-related anxiety remained unchanged as pregnancy progressed. Contact sexual abuse ( < 0.01) and parental death or divorce ( = 0.01) were significantly associated with depression over time ( < 0.01). Total ACEs in this study were associated with depressive symptoms early but not late in pregnancy.

Conclusions: Higher total ACEs were positively associated with depressive symptoms and perceived stress during pregnancy, suggesting that mental disorders may have an impact on pregnancy outcomes and ought to be addressed. Further validation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) tool in local settings is required.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7277115PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103401DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

depressive symptoms
20
perceived stress
16
total aces
12
associated depressive
12
adverse childhood
8
childhood experiences
8
aces associated
8
pregnancy-related anxiety
8
symptoms perceived
8
aces
5

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!