Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder in pregnant women with prior pregnancy complications |
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Authors: | Dr Ariadna Forray Linda C. Mayes Urania Magriples Cynthia Neill Epperson |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USAariadna.forray@yale.edu;3. Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA;4. Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA;5. Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA;6. Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA;7. Connecticut Mental Health Center, Abraham Ribicoff Research Facilities, New Haven, CT, USA |
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Abstract: | Objective. To assess the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in pregnant women with prior pregnancy complications.Methods. Seventy-six pregnant women at a maternal–fetal medicine referral clinic were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire. Fifty-six women had a prior pregnancy complication (study group), and the remaining 20 had none (comparison group). Subjects were assessed with a questionnaire consisting of a modified patient-rated version of the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). The modified CAPS was used to approximate the prevalence of full or partial PTSD related to a prior pregnancy complication using two scoring rules, the rule-of-3 (original rule) and rule-of-4 (more stringent rule).Results. The prevalence of full PTSD among women with prior pregnancy complications was 12.5% and 8.9% based on the rule-of-3 and rule-of-4, respectively. For partial PTSD, the prevalence was 28.6% based on the rule-of-3 versus 17.9% based on the rule-of-4. The most common type of complication was miscarriage, accounting for 73.5% of the reported complications. None of the women in the comparison group met criteria for full or partial PTSD.Conclusions. The prevalence of PTSD in pregnant women with a prior pregnancy-related complication is considerable. These findings provide additional evidence that pregnancy complications can be experienced as traumatic, and as such lead to partial or full PTSD symptoms. |
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Keywords: | Pregnancy post-traumatic stress disorder pregnancy complications maternal anxiety |
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