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Comparative Study
. 2018 Jul 6;1(3):e180725.
doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.0725.

Prevalence of Prenatal Depression Symptoms Among 2 Generations of Pregnant Mothers: The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children

Rebecca M Pearson  1 , Rebecca E Carnegie  1 , Callum Cree  1 , Claire Rollings  2 , Louise Rena-Jones  2 , Jonathan Evans  1 , Alan Stein  3 , Kate Tilling  2   4   5 , Melanie Lewcock  2 , Debbie A Lawlor  2   4   5
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Prevalence of Prenatal Depression Symptoms Among 2 Generations of Pregnant Mothers: The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children

Rebecca M Pearson et al. JAMA Netw Open. .

Abstract

Importance: Depression during pregnancy (prenatal depression) is common and has important consequences for mother and child. Evidence suggests an increasing prevalence of depression, especially in young women. It is unknown whether this is reflected in an increasing prevalence of prenatal depression.

Objective: To compare the prevalence of depression during pregnancy in today's young mothers with their mothers' generation.

Design, setting, and participants: In a longitudinal cohort study, we compared prenatal depressive symptoms in 2 generations of women who participated in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Participants were the original mothers (recruited when they were pregnant) and their female offspring, or female partners of male offspring, who became pregnant. Both groups were limited to the same age range (19-24 years). The first generation of pregnancies occurred in 1990 to 1992 (n = 2390) and the second in 2012 to 2016 (n = 180). In both generations, women were born in the same geographical area (southwest England).

Main outcomes and measures: Depressed mood measured prenatally using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in self-reported surveys in both generations. A score of 13 or greater on a scale of 0 to 30 indicated depressed mood.

Results: Of 2390 pregnant women in the first generation who were included in analysis (mean [SD] age, 22.1 [2.5] years), 408 (17%) had high depressive symptom scores (≥13). Of 180 pregnant women in the second generation who were included in the analysis (mean [SD] age, 22.8 [1.3] years), 45 (25%) had high depressive symptom scores. Having high depressive symptom scores was more common in the second generation of young pregnant women than in their mothers' generation (relative risk, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.15-1.97), with imputation for missing confounding variable data and adjustment for age, parity, education, smoking, and body mass index not substantially changing this difference. Results were essentially the same when analyses were restricted to the 66 mother-offspring pairs. Maternal prenatal depression was associated with daughters' prenatal depression (relative risk, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.65-6.67).

Conclusions and relevance: In this unique study of 2 generations of women who answered identical questionnaires in pregnancy, evidence was found that depressed mood may be higher in young pregnant women today than in their mothers' generation. Because of the multiple and diverse consequences of prenatal depression, an increase in prevalence has important implications for families, health care professionals, and society.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Carnegie reported support from the National Institute for Health Research during the conduct of the study. Dr Stein reported grants from the Wellcome Trust, the UK Medical Research Council, the Barclay Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Institute for Health Research, the European Research Council, the British Academy, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and Grand Challenges Canada outside the submitted work. Dr Tilling reported grants from the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust during the conduct of the study; and grants from the Medical Research Council, the National Institutes of Health, the Wellcome Trust, the Economic and Social Research Council, and the National Institute for Health Research outside the submitted work. Dr Lawlor reported grants from the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, the European Research Council, and the US National Institutes of Health during the conduct of the study; and grants from the British Heart Foundation, Medtronic, and Roche Diagnostics outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Flow Diagram Describing Numbers of Participants in Both Generations With Varying Data
ALSPAC-G0 indicates original participants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children; ALSPAC-G1, offspring of ALSPAC-G0; ALSPAC-G2, offspring of ALSPAC-G1; and EPDS, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. aIndividuals could be excluded for more than 1 reason.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Mean Scores for Individual Items on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) for 2 Generations of Women During Pregnancy
G0 indicates the first generation studied in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC); G1, second generation studied in ALSPAC; and error bars, 95% CI. The individual EPDS item scores all increased in G1 mothers, with the exception of unnecessary self-blame and lack of sense of humor, which were more common in G0 participants, and considering self-harm, which was similar in both groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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