Prevalence and identification of anxiety disorders in pregnancy: the diagnostic accuracy of the two-item Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-2) (original) (raw)

Generalized anxiety disorder: Course and risk factors in pregnancy

Journal of Affective Disorders, 2011

Background: There are limited studies of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) across pregnancy. Methods: Women (n = 2793) were enrolled in the Yale Pink and Blue study, a cohort enriched with subjects who suffered from major depressive disorder (MDD) within the past five years or used antidepressants in the past year. Subjects were evaluated with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview at three time points: twice in pregnancy and once after delivery. We defined a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) episode as per DSM IV but with required duration reduced to one month or longer. Course and correlates of GAD were examined in women who had: 1) no GAD during the 6 months prior or in pregnancy (Group A), 2) GAD in the 6 months prior to but not in pregnancy (Group B), 3) GAD in pregnancy only (Group C) and 4) GAD both in the 6 months prior to and during pregnancy (Group D). Results: 9.5% of the cohort suffered from GAD at some point in pregnancy. Anxiety symptoms were highest in the first trimester and decreased across pregnancy. Regression analysis revealed that previous GAD episodes, education, social support and a history of child abuse distinguished between membership in the four groups. Limitations: The sample may not be representational, as it was enhanced with those at risk, and had relatively low representation of socioeconomically disadvantaged women. Conclusions: Identification of anxious patients during pregnancy may provide an opportunity to engage those in need of psychiatric treatment.

Pregnancy anxiety: A systematic review of current scales

Journal of affective disorders, 2015

Depression in pregnancy is a serious health issue; however, anxiety in pregnancy, with a reported higher prevalence, may also be a serious issue. Anxiety symptoms in pregnancy can relate to several anxiety types, such as general anxiety, anxiety disorders, and pregnancy-related anxiety (PrA), anxiety characterised by pregnancy specific fears and worries. Awareness of these distinctions however, is not always widespread. Both general anxiety and PrA are associated with maternal negative outcomes (e.g. increased nausea) however; PrA is more often associated with negative outcomes for the child (e.g. preterm birth). Furthermore, PrA is potentially a risk factor for postnatal depression with assessment of PrA potentially affording important intervention opportunities. Currently several different instruments are used for PrA however their psychometric properties are unclear. To our knowledge a review of current instruments and their psychometric properties is lacking, this paper aims to ...

Beyond “postpartum depressions”: Specific anxiety diagnoses during pregnancy predict different outcomes

Journal of Affective Disorders, 2010

Objective: Literature underlines that the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is the most common measure to assess postpartum depression (PPD) worldwide and suggests that the rate of false positives is high. Furthermore, the EPDS does not distinguish between depression and anxiety. This study describes different definitions of PPD and whether pregnancy anxiety disorders are risk factors for different PPDs at both 1 month and 1 year postpartum. Method: 1066 women were recruited during pregnancy and followed until the 12th month postpartum (N = 500). Women were administered the SCID and completed the PDPI-R during pregnancy. During the postpartum women who had an EPDS score of 13 or more were administered the SCID to distinguish minor or major depressive episodes (mMD) from false positives. Results: 41.5% and 44.9% of the PPD assessed with the EPDS were false positives at the 1st month and during the 1st year postpartum respectively. The difference observed in prevalence rates estimated with EPDS and SCID was statistically significant both at the 1st month and during the 1st year postpartum. Overall the effect of anxiety diagnoses in predicting PPD was stronger at the 1st month than during the 1st year postpartum. The role of panic disorder is associated both with probable depression (ES = 0.82) and with mMD (ES = 0.87) at the 1st month postpartum, and predicted mMD during the 1st year postpartum (ES = 0.71). OCD predicted false positives at the 1st month postpartum (ES = 0.89). Conclusion: An antenatal screening of specific anxiety diagnoses could be extremely useful for the prevention of possible postpartum distress outcomes.

Prevalence of pregnancy anxiety and associated factors

International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 2015

To determine the prevalence of Pregnancy-Specific Anxiety (PSA) and its associated factors among pregnant women during the three trimesters of pregnancy. Design: A prospective explorative survey was conducted among 500 low-risk Indian pregnant women of age 18-35 years. Setting: A major maternity government hospital in southern state of Kerala, India.

Diagnostic Validity of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder - 7 (GAD-7) among Pregnant Women

PloS one, 2015

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) during pregnancy is associated with several adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. A reliable and valid screening tool for GAD should lead to earlier detection and treatment. Among pregnant Peruvian women, a brief screening tool, the GAD-7, has not been validated. This study aims to evaluate the reliability and validity of the GAD-7. Of 2,978 women who attended their first perinatal care visit and had the GAD-7 screening, 946 had a Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). The Cronbach's alpha was calculated to examine the reliability. We assessed the criterion validity by calculating operating characteristics. The construct validity was evaluated using factor analysis and association with health status on the CIDI. The cross-cultural validity was explored using the Rasch Rating Scale Model (RSM). The reliability of the GAD-7 was good (Cronbach's alpha = 0.89). A cutoff score of 7 or higher, maximizing the Youden Index, yielded...

Beyond "postpartum depressions": specific anxiety diagnoses during pregnancy predict different outcomes: results from PND-ReScU

Journal of Affective Disorders, 2010

Objective: Literature underlines that the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is the most common measure to assess postpartum depression (PPD) worldwide and suggests that the rate of false positives is high. Furthermore, the EPDS does not distinguish between depression and anxiety. This study describes different definitions of PPD and whether pregnancy anxiety disorders are risk factors for different PPDs at both 1 month and 1 year postpartum. Method: 1066 women were recruited during pregnancy and followed until the 12th month postpartum (N = 500). Women were administered the SCID and completed the PDPI-R during pregnancy. During the postpartum women who had an EPDS score of 13 or more were administered the SCID to distinguish minor or major depressive episodes (mMD) from false positives. Results: 41.5% and 44.9% of the PPD assessed with the EPDS were false positives at the 1st month and during the 1st year postpartum respectively. The difference observed in prevalence rates estimated with EPDS and SCID was statistically significant both at the 1st month and during the 1st year postpartum. Overall the effect of anxiety diagnoses in predicting PPD was stronger at the 1st month than during the 1st year postpartum. The role of panic disorder is associated both with probable depression (ES = 0.82) and with mMD (ES = 0.87) at the 1st month postpartum, and predicted mMD during the 1st year postpartum (ES = 0.71). OCD predicted false positives at the 1st month postpartum (ES = 0.89). Conclusion: An antenatal screening of specific anxiety diagnoses could be extremely useful for the prevention of possible postpartum distress outcomes.

Risk factors for antenatal anxiety: A systematic review of the literature

Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 2018

Background: Given the prevalence of antenatal anxiety and its consistent associations with adverse pregnancy and child outcomes, early detection and management of anxiety are essential. Objective: The aim was to identify risk factors for anxiety among pregnant women by systematically reviewing original research. Methods: Cross-sectional, case-control and cohort studies that examined associations between antenatal anxiety and at least one potential risk factor prospectively or retrospectively and measured anxiety independent from other mental health conditions were included. Studies rated strong/moderate in methodological quality appraisal were used to synthesise the evidence. Results: Factors associated with greater risk of anxiety included previous pregnancy loss, medical complications, childhood abuse, intimate partner violence, denial/acceptance coping styles, personality traits, inadequate social support, history of mental health problems, high perceived stress and adverse life events. Conclusions: Several risk factors identified in this review are detectable in routine prenatal care visits (e.g. previous pregnancy loss, pregnancy complications), potentially modifiable (e.g. coping styles, social support, partner factors) and can be identified prior to pregnancy (e.g. psychosocial factors), underlining the significance of pre-conception mental health screening.

Frequency and Associated Factors for Anxiety and Depression in Pregnant Women: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study

The Scientific World Journal, 2012

Antepartum anxiety and/or depression is a major public health problem globally. The aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of antepartum anxiety and/or depression among pregnant women. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary care hospital among pregnant women. A total of 165 pregnant women were interviewed by a clinical psychologist using HADS for assessing anxiety and/or depression and also collected information regarding sociodemographic, obstetric, family relationships, and home environment. Out of the total of 165 pregnant women about 70 percent of them were either anxious and/or depressed. The increasing age of women (P-value=0.073), not having any live birth (P-value=0.036), adverse pregnancy outcome in past including death of a child, stillbirth or abortion (P-value=0.013), participant’s role in household decision making (P-value=0.013), and domestic violence (verbal or physical abuse towards mother or children by any family member) (P-value=0.123). ...

Trajectories and predictors of anxiety symptoms during pregnancy in an Australian sample

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 2020

Background: There is a growing realisation that anxiety symptoms and disorders during pregnancy are associated with various negative outcomes. The aims of this study were to identify latent classes of anxiety symptom trajectories during pregnancy, compare anxiety levels between pregnancy trimesters and ascertain the predictors of anxiety symptom trajectories. Methods: Two hundred pregnant women in their first trimester who attended obstetric clinics at the local hospital were recruited. Three self-report questionnaires assessing anxiety levels were administered at three time points during pregnancy. Latent class growth analysis was used to identify anxiety symptom trajectories, and logistic regression analysis was performed to ascertain the predictors of latent class membership. Results: Data for analyses were available for 188 women. Two anxiety symptom trajectories were identified: a 'highanxiety' trajectory (13.3% of participating women) and 'low-anxiety' trajectory (86.7%). This finding was consistent across all the anxiety measures used in the study. Overall, anxiety levels gradually decreased during pregnancy, with a significant decrease between the first and second trimesters on some measures. Past mental disorders and significant stressors in the preceding 6 months predicted membership in the 'high-anxiety' trajectory group. Conclusions: These findings support an early assessment of anxiety in pregnant women. If untreated, a high level of anxiety in the first trimester is likely to persist throughout pregnancy, although it may decrease somewhat. An early recognition of pathological anxiety during pregnancy allows its timely treatment and prevention of unfavourable outcomes.