Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 May 13;17(10):3401.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17103401.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Changing Levels of Psychosocial Distress Scores Across Pregnancy in Kenyan Women

Pauline Samia  1 , Shahirose Premji  2 , Farideh Tavangar  2 , Ilona S Yim  3 , Sikolia Wanyonyi  4 , Mohamoud Merali  5 , Wangira Musana  4 , Geoffrey Omuse  6 , Ntonghanwah Forcheh  2 , Aliyah Dosani  7   8 , Nicole Letourneau  9 , The Maternal Infant Global Health Team MiGHT Collaborators In Research  2
Affiliations

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Changing Levels of Psychosocial Distress Scores Across Pregnancy in Kenyan Women

Pauline Samia et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with deleterious effects on mental health in pregnancy.

Methods: The ACE International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) was used to measure neglect, abuse, and household dysfunction. Longitudinal mixed effect modelling was used to test the effect of ACEs on pregnancy-related anxiety, depressive symptoms, and perceived stress at two time points (12-19 and 22-29 weeks) during pregnancy.

Results: A total of 215 women who were predominantly married (81%) and had attained tertiary education (96%) were enrolled. Total ACEs were significantly associated with depressive symptoms (r = 0.23, p < 0.05) and perceived stress (r = 0.18, p < 0.05). As depressive symptoms decreased, t (167) = -8.44, p < 0.001, perceived stress increased, t (167) = 4.60, p < 0.001, and pregnancy-related anxiety remained unchanged as pregnancy progressed. Contact sexual abuse (p < 0.01) and parental death or divorce (p = 0.01) were significantly associated with depression over time (p < 0.01). Total ACEs in this study were associated with depressive symptoms early but not late in pregnancy.

Conclusions: Higher total ACEs were positively associated with depressive symptoms and perceived stress during pregnancy, suggesting that mental disorders may have an impact on pregnancy outcomes and ought to be addressed. Further validation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) tool in local settings is required.

Keywords: adverse childhood experiences; depression; perceived stress; pregnancy-related anxiety; psychosocial/perinatal distress.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Change of Depressive Symptoms, Perceived Stress, and Pregnancy-Related Anxiety at two time points in pregnancy [5]. EPDS = Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Score, PS = Perceived Stress, PRA = Pregnancy-related anxiety.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kremer P., Ulibarri M., Ferraiolo N., Pinedo M., Vargas-Ojeda A.C., Burgos J.L., Ojeda V.D. Association of Adverse Childhood Experiences with Depression in Latino Migrants Residing in Tijuana, Mexico. Perm. J. 2019;23 doi: 10.7812/TPP/18-031. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Smith M.V., Gotman N., Yonkers K.A. Early childhood adversity and pregnancy outcomes. Matern. Child Health J. 2016;20:790–798. doi: 10.1007/s10995-015-1909-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Herzog J.I., Schmahl C. Adverse childhood experiences and the consequences on neurobiological, psychosocial, and somatic conditions across the lifespan. Front. Psychiatry. 2018;9:420. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00420. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rieder A.D., Roth S.L., Musyimi C., Ndetei D., Sassi R.B., Mutiso V., Hall G.B., Gonzalez A. Impact of maternal adverse childhood experiences on child socioemotional function in rural Kenya: Mediating role of maternal mental health. Dev. Sci. 2019;22:e12833. doi: 10.1111/desc.12833. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Felitti V.J., Anda R.F., Nordenberg D., Williamson D.F., Spitz A.M., Edwards V., Koss M.P., Marks J.S. Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. Am. J. Prev. Med. 1998;14:245–258. doi: 10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00017-8. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types