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Mental Disorders Among Mothers of Children Born Preterm: A Population-Based Cohort Study in Canada

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Background Our aim was to examine the association between preterm delivery and incident maternal mental disorders using a population-based cohort of mothers in Canada. Methods Retrospective matched cohort study using Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) administrative data in Manitoba. Mothers who delivered preterm babies (<37 weeks gestational age) between 1998 and 2013 were matched 1:5 to mothers of term babies using socio-demographic variables. Primary outcome was any incident mental disorder within 5 years of delivery defined as any of (a) mood and anxiety disorders, (b) psychotic disorders, (c) substance use disorders, and (d) suicide or suicide attempts. Multivariable Poisson regression model was used to estimate the 5-year adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs). Results Mothers of preterm children ( N = 5,361) had similar incidence rates of any mental disorder (17.4% vs. 16.6%, IRR = 0.99, 95% CI, 0.91 to 1.07) compared to mothers of term children ( N = 24,932). Mothers of term children had a higher rate of any mental disorder in the first year while mothers of preterm children had higher rates from 2 to 5 years. Being the mother of a child born <28 week (IRR = 1.5, 95% CI, 1.14 to 2.04), but not 28–33 weeks (IRR = 1.03, 95% CI, 0.86 to 1.19) or 34–36 weeks (IRR = 0.96, 95% CI, 0.88 to 1.05), was associated with any mental disorder. Interpretation Mothers of preterm and term children had similar rates of incident mental disorders within 5-years post-delivery. Extreme prematurity was a risk factor for any mental disorder. Targeted screening and support of this latter group may be beneficial.
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Mental Disorders Among Mothers of
Children Born Preterm: A Population-Based
Cohort Study in Canada
Troubles mentaux chez les femmes denfants prématurés : une
étude de cohorte dans la population au Canada
Deepak Louis, MD, DM
1
, Hammam Akil, MD
1
, James M. Bolton, MD
2,3
,
Fabiana Bacchini, MSc
4
,KarenNetzel
5
, Sapna Oberoi, MD, DM
6
,
Christy Pylypjuk, MD
7
, Lisa Flaten, MSc
3
, Kristene Cheung, PhD
8
,
Lisa M. Lix, PhD
3,9
,ChelseaRuth,MD
1,3
, and Allan Garland, MD, MA
3,10
Abstract
Background: Our aim was to examine the association between preterm delivery and incident maternal mental disorders
using a population-based cohort of mothers in Canada.
Methods: Retrospective matched cohort study using Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) administrative data in
Manitoba. Mothers who delivered preterm babies (<37 weeks gestational age) between 1998 and 2013 were matched 1:5
to mothers of term babies using socio-demographic variables. Primary outcome was any incident mental disorder within 5
years of delivery dened as any of (a) mood and anxiety disorders, (b) psychotic disorders, (c) substance use disorders,
and (d) suicide or suicide attempts. Multivariable Poisson regression model was used to estimate the 5-year adjusted incidence
rate ratios (IRRs).
Results: Mothers of preterm children (N=5,361) had similar incidence rates of any mental disorder (17.4% vs. 16.6%, IRR
=0.99, 95% CI, 0.91 to 1.07) compared to mothers of term children (N=24,932). Mothers of term children had a higher
rate of any mental disorder in the rst year while mothers of preterm children had higher rates from 2 to 5 years. Being the
mother of a child born <28 week (IRR =1.5, 95% CI, 1.14 to 2.04), but not 2833 weeks (IRR =1.03, 95% CI, 0.86 to 1.19)
or 3436 weeks (IRR =0.96, 95% CI, 0.88 to 1.05), was associated with any mental disorder.
Interpretation: Mothers of preterm and term children had similar rates of incident mental disorders within 5-years post-
delivery. Extreme prematurity was a risk factor for any mental disorder. Targeted screening and support of this latter group
may be benecial.
1
Section of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Rady Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
2
Department of Psychiatry, Rady Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
3
Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
4
Canadian Premature Babies Foundation, Toronto, Canada
5
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Womens Hospital, Winnipeg, Canada
6
Department of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Rady Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
7
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rady Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
8
Department of Clinical Health Psychology, Rady Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
9
Department of Community Health Sciences, Rady Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
10
Department of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Corresponding author:
Deepak Louis, MD, DM, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba, WN-2064, 820 Sherbrook Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
R3A 1R9.
Email: dlouis@hsc.mb.ca
Original Research
The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry /
La Revue Canadienne de Psychiatrie
19
© The Author(s) 2022
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/07067437221138237
TheCJP.ca | LaRCP.ca
Abrégé
Contexte : Notre objectif était dexaminer lassociation entre laccouchement avant terme et les troubles mentaux mater-
nels incidents à laide dune cohorte de mères dans la population au Canada.
Méthodes : Une étude de cohorte appariée rétrospective a utilisé les données administratives du Centre délaboration de la
politique des soins de santé du Manitoba (MCHP). Les mères qui ont accouché de bébés avant terme (< 37 semaines dâge
gestationnel) entre 1998 et 2013 ont été appariées à raison dune sur 5 à des mères de bébés à terme à laide de variables
sociodémographiques. Le résultat principal était tout trouble mental incident dans les 5 ans après laccouchement, ni
comme étant lun (a) des troubles anxieux ou de lhumeur (b) des troubles psychotiques, (c) des troubles liés aux substances,
et (d) des suicides ou tentatives de suicide. Le modèle de régression multi-variable de Poisson a servi à estimer un ratio du
taux dincidence (RTI).
Résultats : Les mères denfants prématurés (N =5 361) avaient des taux dincidence semblables de tout trouble mental
[17,4% c. 16,.6%, RTI =0,99, IC à 95% 0,91 à 1,07)] comparé aux mères denfants à terme (N =24 932). Les mères den-
fants à terme avaient un taux plus élevé de tout trouble mental dans la première année alors que les mères de prématurés
avaient des taux plus élevés de 2 à 5 ans. Être mère dun enfant avant < 28 semaines (RTI =1,5, IC à 95% 1,14 à 2,04]),
mais pas à 2833 semaines (RTI =1,03, IC à 95% 0,86 à 1,19]) ou à 3436 semaines (RTI =0,96, IC à 95% 0,88 à 1,05]),
était associé à tout trouble mental.
Interprétation : Les mères denfants prématurés et nés à terme avaient des taux semblables de troubles mentaux incidents
dans les 5 ans suivant laccouchement. La prématurité extrême était un facteur de risque pour tout trouble mental. Le
dépistage ciblé et le soutien de ce dernier groupe peuvent être bénéques.
Keywords
maternal health, depressive disorders, anxiety, substance use disorders, postpartum, prematurity
Introduction
Approximately 8% of all live births in Canada are preterm
(<37 weeks), contributing to 30,000 births,
1
and costing
eight billion dollars to the Canadian health care system annu-
ally.
2
Children born preterm can have multiple short-term
and long-term morbidities. Long-term morbidities include
neurosensory impairments (cerebral palsy, vision and
hearing decits), behavioural and developmental challenges,
cognitive delays and learning disorders.
37
Parenting a child born preterm therefore can be stressful
for mothers making them prone to mental disorders.
8
Previous studies exploring the association between prematu-
rity and maternal mental disorders were limited by small
sample sizes, residual confounding, selection and attrition
biases,
9,10
and the use of self-report questionnaires for diag-
nosing mental disorders.
1113
Our aim was to study the asso-
ciation between prematurity and incident mental disorders
using a population-based cohort of mothers.
Methods
This retrospective cohort study used the Population Research
Data Repository at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy
(MCHP), University of Manitoba, Canada.
14
The
Repository contains linked education, social, health and
justice data collected by government and healthcare provid-
ers for all Manitoba residents. Validated maternal-child link-
ages between the datasets were used to build the study
cohort.
15,16
These data have almost complete population
coverage for Manitoba, which has a publicly funded, single
payer healthcare system. Study approvals were obtained
from the Research Ethics Board and other data custodians.
eTable 1 lists the datasets and corresponding variables used
in the study.
All women who delivered liveborn singleton or twin
babies in Manitoba between 1998 and 2013 formed the
study population. From them, we included mothers who
had delivered preterm babies (<37 weeks gestational age)
(a) who were continuously registered with Manitoba Health
at least 5 years before and 5 years after the index birth
event, and (b) whose children were continuously registered
with Manitoba Health for 5 years after the index birth
event. For mothers with more than one preterm delivery,
only the rst preterm birth was included as long as the sub-
sequent one occurred > 5 years later.
We excluded preterm mothers: (a) who had pre-existing
mental disorders (i.e., within the 5 years prior to the index
birth event), (b) whose children died within 5 years of the
index delivery or (c) for whom we could not nd term
mothers as matches.
We used two different denitions for mental disorders
in the study, one to exclude mothers with pre-existing
mental disorders, and the other to identify incident
mental disorders among the included mothers. For the
former, we used validated administrative data denitions
available in the Repository based on outpatient physician
diagnoses using ICD codes, medication prescriptions and
hospital admissions for mental health with high sensitivity
to avoid false-negative classication of mental disorders
2The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
(eTable 2) and applied them to a 5-year blackout period
prior to the index birth event.
17,18
For mothers who delivered term babies, we used the same
inclusion and exclusion criteria as for preterm mothers except
that preterm birth was replaced by term birth (37 weeks
gestational age). Unlike mothers of preterm babies, mothers
who had more than one term baby during the 5-year period
were included.
For each mother of preterm child, we sought ve matched
mothers of term children based on the following criteria at the
time of the index birth event: (a) year of delivery (±3 years),
(b) singleton versus twin birth, (c) maternal age (±1 year), (d)
SEFI-2 score (±0.3 standard deviation),
19
(e) sex of the child,
(f) parity of the mother (1 vs. >1), (g) marital status (married/
common law vs. single), and (h) rural vs. urban residence.
20
For mothers of preterm children with less than ve
matches, matching with replacement was performed; speci-
cally, the same term birth event was allowed to be matched to
more than one preterm birth event from separate mothers, and
a given mothers separate term birth events could also be
used as a match for separate preterm birth events. For those
preterm mothers who did not have ve matches, frequency
weighting was used during the analysis. The statistical
power and efciency of matched cohort studies plateau
beyond a matching ratio of 1: 4 to 1:5 as per literature
21
and it also becomes challenging to nd the appropriate
number of matches.
Outcome
Our primary outcome was any de novo mental disorder
among mothers within the 5 years of the index birth event.
Any mental disorder included any one or more of the follow-
ing: (a) mood and anxiety disorders, (b) psychotic disorders,
(c) substance use disorders including alcohol use disorders,
and (d) suicide or suicide attempts. To identify mothers
with new mental disorders, we used administrative data def-
initions based on outpatient physician diagnoses using ICD
codes, medication prescriptions, and hospital admissions
for mental health with the highest agreement (kappa value)
to clinical diagnoses so as to avoid both false-positive and
false-negative diagnoses (eTable 2).
17,18
Secondary outcomes included each mental disorder
separately, and the time to diagnosis of any mental disor-
der, the latter denedbytherst date of hospitalization
or physician visit or prescription lled for any of the
mental disorders.
Covariates
These included mothers age at index delivery, year of deliv-
ery, residence, maternal diabetes (gestational or pre-existing),
maternal hypertension (gestational or pre-existing), smoking,
income assistance at delivery, SEFI-2 score, marital status,
birth order, Caesarean delivery, infants sex, small for
gestational age,
22
and singleton versus twins. These variables
were identied from previous literature.
12,2326
Statistical and Sensitivity Analysis
The unit of analysis was the index birth event. Descriptive
statistics were used for baseline variables. Standardized
mean differences were calculated to compare them, with
values >0.1 considered substantial.
27
To test the association
between preterm birth and maternal mental disorders
(primary analysis), matched preterm and term birth events
along with the covariates were entered into multivariable
Poisson regression models. We t two models to the data:
(i) prematurity dened as <37 weeks gestational age, and
(ii) prematurity categorized as <28 weeks, 2833 weeks,
and 3436 weeks. We assessed multicollinearity among
covariates using the variance ination factor (VIF); all VIF
were <4.
28
Since prematurity was our primary exposure var-
iable, we adjusted the P-values for the four prematurity var-
iables mentioned above across the two models using Simes
false discovery rate step-up method
29,30
while all other
P-values remain unadjusted for multiple comparisons. As
all subjects had the same 5-year follow-up period, the expo-
nentiated coefcient of the primary exposure variable repre-
sented the 5-year incidence rate ratio (IRR).
A sensitivity analysis was planned a priori, including
mothers whose children died within 5 years of the index
birth event. Statistical analyses were conducted using SAS
9.4 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA).
Results
Of the 14,362 women who had preterm babies during the
study period, 5,361 were eligible and included in the study
cohort (Figure 1). Among the 169,192 term mothers,
94,497 were eligible and 24,932 were matched to mothers
of preterm children. Most (87%) preterm mothers had ve
matches, 2.7% had four, 2.6% had three, 4.3% had two,
and 3.6% had one match. The groups were similar except
for mothers age at index delivery and rst child birth, prev-
alence of diabetes, hypertension, and delivery by Caesarean
section, all of which were higher among mothers of
preterm children (Table 1).
Primary and secondary outcomes of the cohort with pre-
maturity dened as <37 weeks are shown in Table 2. There
were no differences in the outcomes between preterm
mothers and term mothers. Mothers of extremely preterm
babies (<28 weeks) had higher incidence rates of any
mental disorder, mood and anxiety disorders, and substance
use disorders compared to mothers of other preterm groups
(2833 weeks and 3436 weeks) and term children (Table 3).
eTable 3 shows the regression model based on gestational
age categories. We found that compared to mothers of term
children, being a mother of <28 week infant was associated
with developing any mental disorder, while mothers of
La Revue Canadienne de Psychiatrie 0(0) 3
infants born at 2833 weeks and 3436 weeks gestational age
were not.
Sensitivity analysis including mothers whose children
died within 5 years after birth identied two additional
mothers in the preterm group and eight in the term group;
the results were similar to the primary cohort (eTable 4).
The time of diagnosis of any mental disorder is shown in
Figure 2. In the rst year after the index delivery, term mothers
had a higher incidence for any mental disorder compared to
preterm mothers. After the rst year, preterm mothers had a
higher rate for mental disorders compared to term mothers.
Discussion
In this population-based matched cohort study, the incidence
rate of mental disorders did not differ between mothers of
preterm and term children when preterm group was analyzed
as a single category. However, we found an association
between mothers of extremely preterm infants (<28 weeks)
and the incidence rate of any mental disorder. A majority
of mothers of preterm children were diagnosed with mental
disorders beyond the rst year after delivery while for
mothers of term children, a plurality was diagnosed within
the rst year after delivery.
Preterm delivery and subsequent care of children born
preterm can be stressful for parents, especially mothers,
adversely affecting their mental health. Maternal mental
health strongly impacts the entire family. Beyond
their own physical health and well-being,
3133
maternal
mental disorders can adversely affect their partners
mental health,
34,35
and their infantssocio-emotional and
behavioral development.
36,37
The latter is particularly rel-
evant for preterm infants, who have a higher baseline
risk for developmental impairment compared to term
infants.
38,39
Our study improved on the methodologies of previous
population-based studies.
2325,34,4042
This included
using a matched cohort allowing us to account for multiple
confounders, the use of a more stringent 5-year blackout
period to exclude mothers with pre-existing mental disor-
ders, excluding mothers with any pre-existing mental dis-
order rather than a specic mental disorder, and using a
composite of any mental disorder as our primary
outcome. In addition, while the postpartum follow-up
period of most studies was 1 year, our use of 5 years
more completely captured the long-lived maternal expo-
sure to stress following preterm delivery.
43,44
This
allowed the capture of a more precise and harmonious
sample, despite the exclusion of 63% of eligible mothers
who delivered preterm children.
Previous studies based on clinical interviews report the
prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) to be 0.5
Figure 1. Flow of study cohort.
4The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
1.4%.
2325
In contrast, we found a higher incidence of any
mental disorder (17%) among both mothers of preterm
and term children, with mood and anxiety disorders contrib-
uting the most (13%). Potential reasons for our high rates
include the longer duration of follow up (5 years vs. 1 year
in other studies), the use of a composite of mental disorders
as the outcome, and the relatively high prevalence of mental
disorders prevalent in Manitoba and Canada compared to
other high-income countries.
45
A 2018 report showed that
the 5-year prevalence of any mental disorder in Manitoba
among 1824 and 2544-year-old women was 36% and
42%, respectively.
18
Similarly, a national mental health
survey of Canadian mothers found a 23% prevalence of
PPD and anxiety.
46
Results of previous population-based studies evaluating
prematurity and mental disorders have been mixed, with
some showing preterm delivery as a risk factor for
PPD
24,25,40,41
while others did not nd such an
effect.
23,34,42
Despite these differences, most of them evalu-
ated prematurity as a single category, that is, <37 weeks
gestational age.
25,41,42
In the only study that showed an asso-
ciation between degree of prematurity and PPD, Silverman
et al.
24
found that preterm birth born <32 weeks (OR: 1.53,
95% CI, 1.12 to 2.10), but not 3236 weeks (OR: 1.07,
0.911.26), was associated with PPD. These ndings were
similar to our results, except that we found mothers of
<28-week infants to be at an increased risk for any mental
disorder (IRR: 1.53, 1.142.04) while mothers of 2833
weeks and 3436 weeks infants were not. These ndings
are not unexpected given the longer duration of hospital
stay of these extremely preterm infants and the higher rates
of short-term and long-term morbidities in them.
In addition to extreme prematurity, other risk factors for
mental disorders in our cohort included higher birth order,
maternal age <20 years, maternal diabetes, Caesarean deliv-
ery, receipt of income assistance, and mothers who were
single, all of which are congruent with previous literature.
47
Our ndings highlight a vulnerable group of mothers who
may have fewer resources (both through internal coping
mechanisms as well as external support) to deal with the
Table 1. Baseline Characteristics of the Study Cohort.
Population cohort
Preterm mothers N=5361 Term mothers N=24932 Standardized mean difference
Maternal characteristics
Age at delivery (years), median [IQR]
mean ±SD
28 [24,33]
28.38 ±6.15
28 [23,32]
28.08 ±5.84 0.05
Age at rst child birth (years), median [IQR]
mean ±SD
24.74 [19.72,29.63]
25.13 ±6.12
24.55 [19.86,29.21]
24.91 ±5.80 0.01
Rural residence 2859 (53.3%) 13214 (53.0%)
Birth order, median [IQR]
mean ±SD
2 [1,3]
2.11 ±1.47
2 [1,3]
2.11 ±1.46 0.00
Diabetes 424 (7.9%) 521 (2.1%)
Hypertension 924 (17.2%) 2117 (8.5%)
Smoking, N(%) 868 (16.2%) 3750 (15.0%)
Receipt of income assistance 526 (9.8%) 2426 (9.7%)
SEFI-2, median [IQR]
mean ±SD
0.08 [0.49,0.94]
0.31 ±1.16
0.07 [0.46,0.92]
0.32 ±1.14 0.00
Being married or in a common-law relationship 1971 (36.8%) 9116 (36.6%)
Caesarean section 1860 (34.7%) 5473 (22.0%)
Neonatal characteristics
Gestational age (weeks), median [IQR]
mean ±SD
35 [34,36]
34.43 ±2.3
39 [38,40]
39.29 ±1.3 3.25
<28 weeks
2833 weeks
3436 weeks
133 (2.5%)
1002 (18.7%)
4226 (78.8%)
-
-
Birth weight (grams), median [IQR]
mean ±SD
2560 [2137,2938]
2529 ±696
3485 [3136,3840]
3490 ±530 1.71
Male 2879 (53.7%) 13414 (53.8%)
5min Apgar score, median [IQR]
mean ±SD
9 [8,9]
8.47 ±1.02
9 [9,9]
8.89 ±0.62 0.59
SGA 456 (8.5%) 2392 (9.6%)
Twins 878 (16.4%) 2843 (11.4%)
Care by child and family services 294 (5.5%) 989 (4.0%)
Values are N(%) unless otherwise indicated.
IQR =interquartile range; SD =standard deviation; CI =condence intervals; SGA =small for gestational age; SEFI-2 =socioeconomic index
factor-version 2.
La Revue Canadienne de Psychiatrie 0(0) 5
challenges of having a preterm infant. However, these risk
factors should be considered hypothesis generating and
needs further exploration.
We also found that most mental disorders among preterm
mothers were diagnosed after the rst postpartum year,
unlike term mothers where most were diagnosed in the rst
year. The potential reasons for this nding include the singu-
lar focus of mothers on their preterm child after delivery and
sometimes mothers not realizing the changes occurring to
their mental health during this very stressful period. These
Table 3. Mental Disorders Based on Gestational age Categories Among Preterm Mothers.
<28 weeks N=133 2833 weeks N=1002 3436 weeks N=4226
Primary outcome
Any mental disorder 36 (27.1%) 189 (18.9%) 710 (16.8%)
Secondary outcomes
Mood and anxiety disorder 24 (18.1%) 157 (15.7%) 551 (13.0%)
Psychotic disorders <6 <6 17 (0.4%)
Substance use disorder 18 (13.5%) 53 (5.3%) 216 (5.1%)
Suicidal attempts or suicide <6 <6 15 (0.4%)
Values are N(%).
Table 2. Primary and Secondary Outcomes of the Cohort (Prematurity Dened as <37 Weeks).
Preterm cases N=5361 Term controls N=24932 Adjusted IRR (95% CI)
a,b
P-value
Primary outcome
Any mental disorder 935 (17.4%) 4142 (16.6%) 0.99 (0.91,1.07) 0.75
d
Secondary outcomes
Mood and anxiety disorder 732 (13.7%) 3335 (13.4%) 0.95 (0.86,1.04) 0.27
Psychotic disorders 19 (0.4%) 54 (0.2%) -
c
-
Substance use disorder 287 (5.4%) 1273 (5.1%) 1.02 (0.88,1.19) 0.76
Suicidal attempts or suicide 21 (0.4%) 41 (0.2%) -
c
-
Values are N(%).
IRR =incidence rate ratio; CI =condence intervals.
a
Via Poisson regression.
b
Adjusted for maternal age, birth order, maternal diabetes, maternal hypertension, smoking, caesarean section, rural residence, SEFI-2 score, receipt of income
assistance, marital status, twin birth, sex, SGA, and the year of index delivery.
c
Due to small sample size in the psychotic disorders and suicide attempts or suicide group, the models did not converge for those outcomes.
d
Adjusted for multiple comparisons via Simes false discovery rate method.
Figure 2. Time to diagnoses of mental disorders among preterm and term mothers.
6The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
mothers also receive support from the medical team includ-
ing social work and other parents initially whereas they
lose these supports after discharge from the hospital. The
emerging developmental issues in their child also might con-
tribute to their mental health challenges. Overall, the ndings
of this study underscore the need for continued mental health
surveillance of mothers in the rst few years after preterm
delivery.
Our study has notable strengths. To the best of our knowl-
edge, this is the rst study that evaluated such a broad group
of mental disorders among mothers of preterm children. A
number of methodologic factors were used to minimize
bias and confounding, including: use of a large population-
based cohort, use of stringent inclusion and exclusion crite-
ria, use of matching and numerous covariates in regression
modeling, exclusion of mothers who delivered triplets or
higher-order births, and exclusion of mothers who had mul-
tiple preterm babies within the 5-year follow-up period. Our
physician-identied diagnoses are more specic than
symptom-based scales for mental disorders used in previous
studies. Unlike most other studies, we were also able to look
at varying degrees of prematurity and its association with
mental health outcomes.
Our study has certain limitations. Mothers with mental
disorders, especially substance use disorders, may have
been undercounted as administrative data only captures
those who are diagnosed by a physician or nurse practitioner.
We were unable to delineate the effect of prematurity sepa-
rately for maternal depression and anxiety because of the
way ICD-9 outpatient physician visit codes are recorded in
the Repository. Posttraumatic stress disorder is an important
mental disorder among these mothers that we could not eval-
uate, for this reason.
To conclude, our population-based control study showed
that among mothers without previous mental disorders iden-
tied within the 5 years before birth, the rate of new mental
disorders is not different between mothers of preterm and
term children. There was a dose response relationship
between prematurity and any mental disorder, mood and
anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders. Our regres-
sion analysis showed that extreme prematurity (<28 weeks)
was associated with the outcome of any mental disorder.
The results of this research outline the relationship between
preterm birth and maternal mental vulnerability suggesting
clinicians be more cognizant, especially of those mothers
whose premature babies were born at less than 28 weeks.
This may warrant routine screening for mental disorders
and follow up among mothers of preterm babies born at
such an early gestation.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy for
use of data contained in the Manitoba Population Research Data
Repository under project #2020-017 (HIPC#2020/2021-76). The
results and conclusions are those of the authors and no ofcial
endorsement by the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Manitoba
Health, or other data providers is intended or should be inferred.
Data used in this study are from the Manitoba Population
Research Data Repository housed at the Manitoba Centre for
Health Policy, University of Manitoba and were derived from data
provided by Manitoba Health and Senior Care, Winnipeg Regional
Health Authority, Department of Families, Healthy Child Manitoba
Ofce, Statistics Canada and Manitoba Education and Training.
We would like to acknowledge the Diabetes Education Resource
for Children and Adolescents (DERCA) for use of their Pediatric
Diabetes Database. We would like to acknowledge the contributions
of Monica Sirski, data analyst at MCHP, for helping with building the
study cohorts and performing the data analyses.
Declaration of Conicting Interests
The authors declared no potential conicts of interest with respect to
the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The authors disclosed receipt of the following nancial support for
the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work
was supported by the Manitoba Medical Service Foundation
(MMSF) grant (grant no: 8-2021-07) awarded to Deepak Louis in
2021.
ORCID iDs
Deepak Louis https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8535-4208
James M. Bolton https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6319-5181
Supplemental Material
Supplemental material for this article is available online.
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La Revue Canadienne de Psychiatrie 0(0) 9
... The present study sets two objectives: (i) to understand whether preterm birth has a negative impact on the mother's mental health, and (ii) to analyze if maternal psychological illness compromises the quality of mother-infant bonding. From evidence which has emerged in the current literature [37], our first hypothesis is that preterm birth does expose women to a greater chance of developing mood disorders during the postpartum phase [38]. In addition, we hypothesized that experiencing a mood disorder postpartum might negatively impact the quality of mother-child bonding [39]. ...
... The results of the correlation and regression analyses allow us to comment on the objectives and hypothesis that we formulated above. Regarding our first objective, it was hypothesized, based on the present literature, that there could be a correlation between preterm birth and maternal mood disorders [37]. However, contrary to our expectations, this hypothesis was not supported by our research data, which did not find significant correlations between the characteristics of preterm birth and mood states as measured by the POMS questionnaire. ...
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Preterm birth is a significant global health issue affecting millions of infants each year, with potential implications for their developmental outcomes. This study investigated the impact of preterm birth on maternal mood states during the early postpartum period and its subsequent effects on mother–infant bonding. Mothers of 90 preterm infants were involved in the assessment of maternal mood states, examined with the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire and the evaluation of mother–infant bonding, carried out through the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ). Contrary to expectations, there was no significant correlation between preterm birth characteristics and maternal mood states. On the other hand, significant correlations emerged between specific maternal mood states and the quality of mother–child bonding. More specifically, regression analyses showed that feelings of tension, anger, and confusion experienced by the mother tend to negatively affect the quality of her bond with her child. These findings emphasize the crucial role of maternal mental well-being in shaping the mother–infant relationship in the early postpartum period. The study highlights the importance of identifying and addressing maternal mood disorders to promote positive mother–infant bonding and child development, further underlining the need for comprehensive support and interventions for mothers of preterm infants.
... Extensive data repositories linking health and non-health datasets exist at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, the Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences in Ontario, Population Data BC, and other sites [8,19,20]. For example, we linked the DAD with education data in Manitoba to assess the impact of preterm birth on school performance [21,22] and linked it with outpatient health data to assess the association of preterm birth on subsequent maternal mental health [23]. Using administrative data for research therefore mandates that the data elements have acceptable accuracy. ...
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IntroductionThe Canadian Institute of Health Information's (CIHI) Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) contains standardised administrative data on all hospitalisations in Canada, excluding Quebec. Objectives We aimed to validate preterm birth related perinatal and neonatal data in DAD by assessing its accuracy against the reference standard of the Canadian Neonatal Network (CNN) database. Methods We linked birth hospitalization data between the DAD and CNN databases for all neonates born <<33 weeks gestational age (GA) admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Winnipeg, Canada, between 2010 and 2022. A comprehensive list of maternal and neonatal variables relevant to preterm birth was chosen \textit{a priori} for validation. For categorical variables, we measured correlation using Cohen's weighted kappa (k) and for continuous variables, we measured agreement using Lin's concordance correlation coefficient (LCCC). Results2084 neonates were included (mean GA 29.4 ± 2.4 weeks; birth weight 1430 ± 461g). Baseline continuous maternal and neonatal variables showed excellent accuracy in DAD [Maternal age: LCCC = 0.99 (0.99, 0.99); GA: LCCC = 0.95 (0.95, 0.96); birth weight: LCCC = 0.97 (0.96, 0.97); sex: k = 0.99 (0.98-0.99)]. In contrast, the accuracy of the maternal baseline categorical variables and neonatal outcomes and interventions ranged from very good to poor [e.g., Caesarean section: k = 0.91 (0.89-0.93), pre-gestational diabetes: k = 0.04 (0.03-0.05), neonatal sepsis: k = 0.37 (0.31-0.42), bronchopulmonary dysplasia: k = 0.26 (0.19-0.33), neonatal laparotomy: k = 0.55 (0.43-067)]. Conclusion Neonatal variables such as gestational age and birth weight had high accuracy in DAD, while the accuracy of maternal and neonatal morbidities and interventions were variable, with some being poor. Reasons for the inaccuracy of these variables should be identified and measures taken to improve them.
... This is supported by data from Canada, where mothers of preterm infants under 37 weeks' gestation showed similar severity of psychiatric disorders during the first 5 years after birth as mothers of babies born at full term. However, it has been shown that extreme prematurity may have influenced the onset of various postpartum psychiatric disorders [42]. On the contrary, other studies have shown that complicated and prolonged labor or stillbirth can contribute to postpartum psychosis [43]. ...
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Postpartum psychosis is rare, but is a serious clinical and social problem. On its own, it is not included in DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) or ICD-10 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems) as a disease entity, and current diagnostic criteria equate it with other psychoses. This poses a serious legal problem and makes it difficult to classify. The disorder is caused by a complex combination of biological, environmental, and cultural factors. The exact pathophysiological mechanisms of postpartum psychosis remain very poorly understood. There is a need for further research and increased knowledge of the medical sector in the prevention and early detection of psychosis to prevent stigmatization of female patients during a psychiatric episode. It is necessary to regulate its position in the DSM5 and ICD-10. Attention should be paid to the social education of expectant mothers and their families. This article aims to review the current status of risk factors, prevention, and management of postpartum psychosis.
Article
Objective: Previous reviews of depression among parents of preterm children were restricted to mothers within the first year of preterm delivery. We aimed to systematically review the prevalence and risk factors for depressive symptoms among mothers and fathers in the first five years following preterm birth. Study design: This systematic review was undertaken following the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Guidelines and reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guideline. Peer reviewed, all language, observational studies from the year 2000 that assessed the prevalence and/or risk factors for depression among parents of children born preterm (<37 weeks gestation) in the first five years following preterm birth, using validated clinical scales, were included. Medline, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Cochrane Central were searched on July 29, 2021. The NIH quality assessment tool was used. Meta-analysis was performed using inverse variance effects models to estimate prevalence and identify risk factors. Results: Seventy-eight studies were included. The majority were English language (n=71), European (n=32), cross sectional studies (n=44), using the EPDS scale (n=45). The prevalence of depressive symptoms among mothers was 25% (95% CI, 21%-31%; n=72) in the first year, and 20% (13%-30%; n=8) in the second to fifth year, while for fathers, the rates were 13% (8%-22%; n=15) and 11% (2%-50%; n=1) respectively. Eastern Mediterranean region had the highest prevalence of maternal depressive symptoms in the first year [48% (25%-72%; n=3)], while it was the Western Pacific region for fathers [17% (15%-19%)]. Low educational status [Odds ratio 3.5 (95% CI, 1.9-6.5; n=2)] was associated with depressive symptoms among mothers in the first year. Conclusion: Mothers and fathers had a high prevalence of depressive symptoms in the first five years following preterm birth, with region variations in the prevalence. (PROSPERO Registration# CRD42021260748).
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Objective This study presents national estimates on symptoms consistent with postpartum anxiety (PPA) and postpartum depression (PPD) and the association between these conditions and possible risk and protective factors in women who gave birth in Canada. Methods Data were collected through the Survey on Maternal Health, a cross-sectional survey administered in Canada’s ten provinces between November 2018 and February 2019 among women who gave birth between January 1 and June 30, 2018. A total of 6558 respondents were included. Weighted prevalence estimates were calculated, and logistic regression was used to model the relationship between symptoms consistent with PPA, PPD, and potential risk factors. Results Overall, 13.8% of women had symptoms consistent with PPA, while the prevalence of having symptoms consistent with PPD was 17.9%. Results of the logistic regression models indicated that women who had a history of depression were 3.4 times (95% CI 2.7–4.2) more likely to experience symptoms consistent with PPA and 2.6 times more likely to experience symptoms consistent with PPD (95% CI 2.2–3.2) compared with those who did not. Women who reported good, fair, or poor physical health were 2.4 times more likely to experience symptoms consistent with PPD (95% CI 2.0–2.9) and 2.0 times more likely to experience symptoms consistent with PPA (95% CI 1.7–2.4) compared with those who reported very good or excellent health. Maternal marital status, other postpartum maternal support, and sense of community belonging were also significant. Conclusion This study highlights that a history of depression and good, fair, or poor physical health are associated with an increased odds of symptoms consistent with PPA and PPD, while other maternal support and sense of community belonging are associated with a decreased odds of these conditions.
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In randomized controlled trials (RCTs), endpoint scores, or change scores representing the difference between endpoint and baseline, are values of interest. These values are compared between experimental and control groups, yielding a mean difference between the experimental and control groups for each outcome that is compared. When the mean difference values for a specified outcome, obtained from different RCTs, are all in the same unit (such as when they were all obtained using the same rating instrument), they can be pooled in meta-analysis to yield a summary estimate that is also known as a mean difference (MD). Because pooling of the mean difference from individual RCTs is done after weighting the values for precision, this pooled MD is also known as the weighted mean difference (WMD). Sometimes, different studies use different rating instruments to measure the same outcome; that is, the units of measurement for the outcome of interest are different across studies. In such cases, the mean differences from the different RCTs cannot be pooled. However, these mean differences can be divided by their respective standard deviations (SDs) to yield a statistic known as the standardized mean difference (SMD). The SD that is used as the divisor is usually either the pooled SD or the SD of the control group; in the former instance, the SMD is known as Cohen's d, and in the latter instance, as Glass' delta. SMDs of 0.2, 0.5, and 0.8 are considered small, medium, and large, respectively. SMDs can be pooled in meta-analysis because the unit is uniform across studies. This article presents and explains the different terms and concepts with the help of simple examples.
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Purpose: The study aims are to explore the lived experiences of mothers and fathers of postpartum depression and parental stress after childbirth. Methods: Qualitative interviews conducted, and analysed from an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) perspective. Results: Both mothers and fathers described experiences of inadequacy, although fathers described external requirements, and mothers described internal requirements as the most stressful. Experiences of problems during pregnancy or a traumatic delivery contributed to postpartum depression and anxiety in mothers and affected fathers’ well-being. Thus, identifying postpartum depression with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, mothers described varying experiences of child health care support. Postpartum depression seemed to affect the spouses’ relationships, and both mothers and fathers experienced loneliness and spouse relationship problems. Experiences of emotional problems and troubled upbringing in the parents’ family of origin may contribute to vulnerability from previous trauma and to long-term depressive symptoms for mothers. Conclusions: The findings of this study demonstrate the significant impact of postpartum depression and parental stress has in parents’ everyday lives and on the spouse relationship. These results support a change from an individual parental focus to couples’ transition to parenthood in child health care.
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Introduction The postpartum period represents the time of risk for the emergence of maternal postpartum depression. There are no systematic reviews of the overall maternal outcomes of maternal postpartum depression. The aim of this study was to evaluate both the infant and the maternal consequences of untreated maternal postpartum depression. Methods We searched for studies published between 1 January 2005 and 17 August 2016, using the following databases: MEDLINE via Ovid, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group trials registry. Results A total of 122 studies (out of 3712 references retrieved from bibliographic databases) were included in this systematic review. The results of the studies were synthetized into three categories: (a) the maternal consequences of postpartum depression, including physical health, psychological health, relationship, and risky behaviors; (b) the infant consequences of postpartum depression, including anthropometry, physical health, sleep, and motor, cognitive, language, emotional, social, and behavioral development; and (c) mother–child interactions, including bonding, breastfeeding, and the maternal role. Discussion The results suggest that postpartum depression creates an environment that is not conducive to the personal development of mothers or the optimal development of a child. It therefore seems important to detect and treat depression during the postnatal period as early as possible to avoid harmful consequences.
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Shunned presents clearly for a wide readership information about the nature and severity of discrimination against people with mental illness, what can be done to reduce this, and after showing, both from personal accounts and from a thorough review of the literature, the nature of discrimination, sets out a clear manifesto for change.
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Objectifs À l’aide des données du Recensement du Canada, des chercheurs du Centre de la politique des soins de santé du Manitoba ont voulu créer un indicateur socioéconomique régional (ISR). Nous avons évalué le degré d’association entre cet ISR et la santé. Méthode Les valeurs de plusieurs variables du Recensement (revenu, instruction, emploi et structure familiale) ont été saisies à l’échelle des secteurs de dénombrement ou des aires de diffusion, puis soumises à une analyse factorielle en composantes principales afin de créer trois ISR: une version actualisée de l’indice des facteurs socioéconomiques (SEFI-2) et des versions modifiées des indices de défavorisation matérielle et sociale de Pampalon. Les scores factoriels de ces analyses ont ensuite été comparés à plusieurs indicateurs de santé des populations: le taux de mortalité prématurée (TMP), les années potentielles de vie perdues (APVP), l’espérance de vie et la santé autoévaluée. Résultats Les scores du SEFI-2 étaient fortement liés non seulement aux autres ISR, mais à chaque indicateur d’état sanitaire. Les plus fortes corrélations entre un ISR et un indicateur de santé ont été observées entre le SEFI-2 et les APVP (r=0,85), et entre le SEFI-2 et le TMP (r=0,80). Les plus faibles corrélations ont été observées entre l’ISR de défavorisation sociale et la santé autoévaluée. Conclusion Les ISR basés sur des indicateurs du Recensement du Canada sont une précieuse ressource pour les chercheurs en santé des populations. Il est important de noter que, tout dépendant de la question de recherche et de la raison de l’inclusion d’un ISR, les indicateurs composites peuvent donner de meilleurs résultats que l’indicateur de revenu à lui seul. La possibilité d’apporter des ajustements en fonction du statut socioéconomique, lorsqu’on évalue l’état sanitaire de populations ou des interventions en santé des populations, contribue à la validité des conclusions de ce type de recherche, et les ISR peuvent se substituer à l’état sanitaire de la population d’une région lorsque ce dernier élément n’est pas facilement déterminable.
Article
Background: This systematic review aimed to critically analyze the studies that explored preterm birth as risk factor for postpartum depression in the last 10 years. Methods: Two independent researchers performed a systematic review of indexed studies in PubMed/Medline, Web of Science and PsycInfo database. The PRISMA for reporting systematic review model was used to conduct data extraction. A meta-analysis was performed including a sub-group of studies. Results: The final sample consisted of 26 studies and 12 were included in the meta-analysis. Most of the studies supported the association between preterm birth (PTB) and postpartum depression (PPD). However, 8 studies did not find such association and, even among studies with positive findings, results were heterogeneous, given the methodological discrepancies among the studies. The meta-analysis provided evidence of higher risk for PPD among mothers of preterm infants in assessments performed up to 24 weeks after childbirth. Limitations: Most of the studies did not consider the role of important confounding variables, such as previous history of depression. Heterogeneity of assessment tools and cut-off scores were also considered a limitation. Conclusions: Further prospective population-based studies with an integrative approach of PPD are needed to provide consistent evidence of such association. Important confounding variables and biological measures implicated in PPD should be considered. Our findings highlight the importance of maternal mental health care in this target population, as preterm birth experience seem to affect both babies and mothers. We encourage PPD assessment for mothers of preterm infants, especially in the early postpartum period.
Article
Multiple-test procedures are increasingly important as technology increases scientists’ ability to make large numbers of multiple measurements, as they do in genome scans. Multiple-test procedures were originally defined to input a vector of input p-values and an uncorrected critical p-value, interpreted as a familywise error rate or a false discovery rate, and to output a corrected critical p-value and a discovery set, defined as the subset of input p-values that are at or below the corrected critical p-value. A range of multiple-test procedures is implemented using the smileplot package in Stata (Newson and the ALSPAC Study Team 2003, Stata Journal 3: 109–132; 2010, Stata Journal 10: 691–692). The qqvalue command uses an alternative formulation of multiple-test procedures, which is also used by the R function p.adjust. qqvalue inputs a variable of p-values and outputs a variable of q-values that are equal in each observation to the minimum familywise error rate or false discovery rate that would result in the inclusion of the corresponding p-value in the discovery set if the specified multiple-test procedure was applied to the full set of input p-values. Formulas and examples are presented.
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The common approach to the multiplicity problem calls for controlling the familywise error rate (FWER). This approach, though, has faults, and we point out a few. A different approach to problems of multiple significance testing is presented. It calls for controlling the expected proportion of falsely rejected hypotheses — the false discovery rate. This error rate is equivalent to the FWER when all hypotheses are true but is smaller otherwise. Therefore, in problems where the control of the false discovery rate rather than that of the FWER is desired, there is potential for a gain in power. A simple sequential Bonferronitype procedure is proved to control the false discovery rate for independent test statistics, and a simulation study shows that the gain in power is substantial. The use of the new procedure and the appropriateness of the criterion are illustrated with examples.
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Measures of mental wellbeing are heavily relied upon to identify at-risk individuals. However, self-reported mental health metrics might be unduly affected by mis-reporting (perhaps stemming from stigma effects). In this paper we consider this phenomenon using data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and its successor, Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) over the period 1991 to 2016. In particular, in separate analyses of males and females we focus on the GHQ-12 measure, and specifically its sub-components, and how inaccurate reporting can adversely affect the distribution of the index. The results suggest that individuals typically over-report pyschological wellbeing and that reporting bias is greater for males. The results are then used to adjust the composite GHQ- 12 score to take such mis-reporting behaviours into account. To further illustrate the importance of this, we compare the effects of the adjusted and unadjusted GHQ-12 index when modelling a number of economic transitions. The results reveal that using the original GHQ-12 score generally leads to an underestimate of the effect of psychological distress on transitions into improved economic states, such as unemployment into employment.