Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Suicidal Ideation Among Brazilian Pregnant Women: A Population-Based Study.

Background: Suicide is a leading cause of death during the perinatal period in high-income countries (HIC). There remains a lack of population-based studies about suicidal ideation (SI) during pregnancy among low and middle income countries (LMIC). Objectives: Using the case of Brazil, we aim to estimate the prevalence of SI during pregnancy and its association with antenatal depression (AD) and sociodemographic factors in a LMIC. Method: We used data from the Brazilian National Survey (PNS-2019), a population-based study, with a complex and probabilistic sampling method. Of the 27,136 women of reproductive age (15 to 49 years old) who participated in the PNS, a total of 769 women reported being pregnant at the time of the interview. All PNS participants answered the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and a questionnaire with sociodemographic data. SI was defined as any answer to the PHQ-9 item 9 other than 0 (not at all). Logistic regression models were performed to obtain crude and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the association between explanatory variables and SI during pregnancy. Results: Among 769 women, 33 (3.9%, 95% CI: 3.0-5.1%) reported SI during pregnancy. In the adjusted analysis, higher odds of SI were associated with being 20 to 34 years old (aOR:0.24, 95% CI: 0.08-0.74) or 35 to 49 years old (aOR:0.15; 95% CI: 0.04-0.50), having 9 to 11 years of education (aOR 0.23, 95% CI: 0.61-0.86), acheiving the highest family income category (aOR:0.08, 95% CI: 0.01-0.58), not living in the South/Southeast regions of Brazil (aOR:5.52, 95% CI: 2.36-12.9), and having probable mild AD (aOR:10.5 95% CI: 2.3-47.9) or moderate AD (aOR:241.3, 95% CI: 58.4-996.7). Conclusions: In Brazil, SI affects almost 4% of pregnant women and is associated with sociodemographic vulnerability. Clinically, women with mild symptoms of depression may also experience SI during pregnancy. These findings are important for designing effective perinatal mental health interventions in LMICs.

Are pregnant women at higher risk of depression underdiagnosis?

BACKGROUND: we aim to estimate the prevalence of depression underdiagnosis among women and whether pregnant women are at higher risk STUDY DESIGN: we used data from the Brazilian National Survey (PNS 2013), a population-based study. All 22.455 women (18-49 years old) answered the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and a questionnaire with sociodemographic, obstetric and clinical data. There were 2.605 (2.491 non-pregnant and 114 pregnant women) depressed women (PHQ-9 >8)with a clinical diagnosis of depression, in the last 30 days. Classification of depression underdiagnosis was made using the comparison between results obtained from the self-referred question evaluating clinical diagnosis of depression by providers and the results of the PHQ-9 application. Women with a PHQ-9 score > 8 and with a "No" answer in the clinical question were classified as depression underdiagnosis. Logistic regression models were performed to obtain crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) RESULTS: Depression underdiagnosis prevalence was 71.2% and was more frequent among pregnant women in comparison with non-pregnant women (88.1% vs 68.0%; p = 0.002). In the adjusted analysis, being pregnant was significantly associated with depression underdiagnosis (aOR 3.55, 95% CI 1.66:7.60). Nonwhite skin color women were also at higher risk of depression underdiagnosis (aOR 1.53, 95% CI 1.09:2.14). LIMITATIONS: the cross-sectional design and the lack of medical records data about assessment of mental health CONCLUSION(S): in Brazil, depression underdiagnosis by providers is prevalent and pregnant women and minority women are at higher risk of not receiving a correct mental health diagnosis.

Association between circulating concentrations of vitamin D and risk of antenatal, postnatal depression: a meta-analysis

ABSTRACT Background: Previous studies showed consistent results for associations between circulating concentrations of vitamin D and risk of antenatal, postnatal depression. Methods: Articles published in English before November 2020 were searched in databases as follows: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Medline, Google Scholar and Cochrane. These articles explored associations between circulating concentrations of vitamin D and risk of antenatal, postnatal depression.The present meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 12.0 software. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) extracted from included studies were computed using a random effects model or a fixed effects model according to heterogeneities between included studies. Q test and I2 were used to explore heterogeneities between included studies. Results: 7 cohort studies (including 1567 depression cases and 5254 controls) and 3 case-control studies (including 995 depression cases and 1265 controls) were included in the present study. The study showed that low circulating levels of 25-hydroxy (OH) vitamin D is significantly associated with a higher risk of antenatal and postnatal depression (OR = 1.02, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.04, I2 = 90.7%, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our results have shown that the low level of vitamin D may be an adverse factor of antenatal and postnatal depression.

Female infants are more susceptible to the effects of maternal antenatal depression; findings from the Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: We utilised data from the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort, a large prospective cohort in southern Brazil, to examine the association of moderate and severe antenatal depression with child birth outcomes and explore interactions with sociodemographic characteristics. METHODS: Data was available for n = 3046 participants and their infants. We measured antenatal depression using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS, ≥13 for moderate and ≥17 for severe depression). Outcome measures included gestational age, birth weight, length and head circumference, using the Intergrowth-21st standards. We controlled for known confounders including obstetric risk. RESULTS: We did not find differences in childbirth outcomes by maternal depression status for participants with at least moderate depression, although there was an increased risk for female offspring to be small for gestational age (SGA, OR 2.33[1.37,3.97]). For severe depression (EPDS≥17) we found an increased risk for lower APGAR scores (OR 1.63[1.02,2.60]) and being SGA (OR 1.77[1.06,2.97], with an increased risk for female offspring in particular to be in lower weight centiles (-10.71 [-16.83,-4.60]), to be SGA (OR 3.74[1.89, 7.44]) and in the lower 10th centile for length (OR 2.19[1.25,3.84]). LIMITATIONS: include the use of a maternal report questionnaire to ascertain depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: In this recent large longitudinal cohort in Brazil we did not find independent effects of depression on adverse birth outcomes or interactions with sociodemographic characteristics. We found an increased risk of being SGA for female offspring of women with moderate and severe depression, in line with other research suggesting females may be more susceptible to antenatal disturbances. FUNDING: This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust, United Kingdom (095582), the Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq) and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES). EN was supported by the UK Economic and Social Research Council GCRF Postdoctoral Fellowship (ES/P009794/1).

Suicidality among pregnant women in Brazil: prevalence and risk factors.

Suicide is one of the major causes of preventable death. We evaluated suicidality among pregnant women who participated in prenatal care in Brazil. A total of 255 patients were assessed using semi-structured interviews as well as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) Plus. Thereafter, Stata 12 was used to identify the significant predictors of current suicide risk (CSR) among participants using univariate and multivariate analyses (p < 0.05). According to MINI Plus module C, the lifetime suicide attempt rate was 12.55%. The overall CSR was 23.53%, distributed across risk levels of low (12.55%), moderate (1.18%), and high (9.80%). Our rates approximate those found in another Brazilian study (18.4%). Antenatal depression (AD), lifetime bipolar disorder, and any current anxiety disorder (as measured using the MINI) as well as BDI scores ≥15 and EPDS scores ≥11 were identified as positive risk factors in a univariate analysis (p < 0.001). These factors changed after a multivariate analysis was employed, and only years of education [odds ratio (OR) = 0.45; 95% confidence intervals (CIs) = 0.21-0.99], AD (OR = 3.42; 95% CIs = 1.37-8.53), and EPDS scores ≥11 (OR = 4.44; 95% CIs = 1.97-9.97) remained independent risk factors. AD and other psychiatric disorders were the primary risk factors for suicidality, although only the former remained an independent factor after a multivariate analysis. More than 10 years of education and EPDS scores ≥11 were also independent factors; the latter can be used as a screening tool for suicide risk.

What is the best tool for screening antenatal depression?

BACKGROUND: Antenatal depression (AD) can have devastating consequences. No existing scales are specifically designed to measure it. Common practice is to adapt scales originally developed for other circumstances. We designed this study to validate and determine the psychometric values for AD screening in Brazil. METHODS: We collected clinical and socio-demographic data in the second gestational trimester. The following instruments were also administered during that period: MINI-PLUS, EPDS, BDI and HAM-D. RESULTS: At the time of assessment, 17.34% of the patients were depressed, and 31.98% met the diagnostic criteria for lifetime major depression. All instruments showed an area under the curve in a receiver operating characteristic analysis greater than 0.85, with the BDI achieving a 0.90 and being the best-performing screening instrument. A score ≥11 on the EPDS (81.58% sensitivity, 73.33% specificity), ≥15 on the BDI (82.00% sensitivity, 84.26% specificity) and ≥9 on the HAM-D (87.76% sensitivity, 74.60% specificity) revealed great dichotomy between depressed and non-depressed patients. Spearman׳s rank correlation coefficients (ρ) among the scales had good values (EPDS vs. BDI 0.79; BDI vs. HAM-D 0.70, and EPDS vs. HAM-D 0.67). LIMITATIONS: This study was transversal, assessing only women in the second gestational trimester. Results may be applicable only to the Brazilian population since psychometric properties may vary with the population under study. Major depression can amplify somatic symptomatology, affecting depressive rating scale data. CONCLUSION: AD is highly prevalent in Brazil. To address the problem of under-recognition, physicians can use the EPDS, BDI and HAM-D to identify AD.

Depressive disorder in pregnant Latin women: does intimate partner violence matter?

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To identify the association of antenatal depressive symptoms with intimate partner violence during the current pregnancy in Brazilian women. BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence is an important risk factor for antenatal depression. To the authors' knowledge, there has been no study to date that assessed the association between intimate partner violence during pregnancy and antenatal depressive symptoms among Brazilian women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Three hundred and fifty-eight pregnant women were enrolled in the study. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and an adapted version of the instrument used in the World Health Organization Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence were used to measure antenatal depressive symptoms and psychological, physical and sexual acts of intimate partner violence during the current pregnancy respectively. Multiple logistic regression and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of antenatal depressive symptoms, as determined by the cut-off score of 12 in the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, was 28·2% (101). Of the participants, 63 (17·6%) reported some type of intimate partner violence during pregnancy. Among them, 60 (95·2%) reported suffering psychological violence, 23 (36·5%) physical violence and one (1·6%) sexual violence. Multiple logistic regression and multiple linear regression indicated that antenatal depressive symptoms are extremely associated with intimate partner violence during pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Among Brazilian women, exposure to intimate partner violence during pregnancy increases the chances of experiencing antenatal depressive symptoms. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Clinical nurses and nurses midwifes should pay attention to the particularities of Brazilian women, especially with regard to the occurrence of intimate partner violence, whose impacts on the mental health of this population are extremely significant, both during the gestational period and postpartum.

Major depressive disorder during teenage pregnancy: socio-demographic, obstetric and psychosocial correlates

OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) during pregnancy in teenage mothers and to assess its association with socio-demographic characteristics, obstetric history and psychosocial variables. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of pregnant teenagers enrolled in the national public health system in the urban area of Pelotas, southern Brazil. MDD was assessed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, the Abuse Assessment Screen was used to identify physical abuse within the last 12 months and during pregnancy, and social support was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Survey Social Support Scale. RESULTS: Forty-three (4.94%) potential subjects refused to participate, resulting in 828 total participants. The prevalence of MDD was 17.8%, 9.2% reported they had been subjected to violence within the last 12 months, while 5.8% had suffered violence during pregnancy, and the mean (SD) overall social support score was 87.40 (11.75). After adjustment, we found the highest incidence of MDD in adolescents with less than 8 years of education, followed by those with previous episodes of MDD and those with lower overall social support. CONCLUSIONS: MDD is a relatively common condition in pregnant teenagers and appears to be more prevalent in young mothers who are both socioeconomically and psychosocially underprivileged.