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. 2023 Nov 14;23(1):793.
doi: 10.1186/s12884-023-06024-3.

Psychological distress in pregnancy and postpartum: a cross-sectional study of Babol pregnancy mental health registry

Shahnaz Barat #  1 , Azita Ghanbarpour #  2 , Seyyedeh Mahboubeh Mirtabar  3 , Farzan Kheirkhah  4 , Zahra Basirat  1 , Hoda Shirafkan  5 , Angela Hamidia  4 , Faezeh Khorshidian  4 , Davood Hosseini Talari  4 , Zeynab Pahlavan  6 , Sedigheh Esmaelzadeh  1 , Zinatosadat Buzari  1 , Mahtab Zeynalzadeh  1 , Shahla Yazdani Charati  1 , Fatemeh Shafizade  2 , Mahsima Adnani  2 , Fatemeh Amirkhanloo  2 , Maedeh Mollaalipour  2 , Atieh Chale Kani  2 , Mania Amiri  2 , Razieh Khazaei  2 , Seyedeh Shabnam Mehdinia  2 , Fatemeh Basirat  2 , Simin Asadollahi  2 , Asieh Khodami  2 , Alireza Azizi  4 , Fatemeh Nasiri-Amiri  6 , Nooshin Fatery  7 , Shirin Shahrokhi  8 , Banafshe Zarinkamar  9 , Sajedeh Aligoltabar  10 , Mahbobeh Faramarzi  11
Affiliations

Psychological distress in pregnancy and postpartum: a cross-sectional study of Babol pregnancy mental health registry

Shahnaz Barat et al. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. .

Abstract

Background: Psychological distress (PD) is a significant issue during pregnancy and postpartum, adversely affecting both children and mothers. This study aims to determine PD's prevalence and risk factors in a large Iranian population sample during pregnancy and postpartum.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Babol Pregnancy Mental Health Registry (located in the north of Iran) between June 2020 and March 2021. A total of 2305 women were included, with 1639 during pregnancy and 666 during postpartum. Psychological distress was assessed using the Brief Symptoms Inventory (BSI-18), and data were analyzed using independent t-tests and multiple logistic regressions.

Results: The prevalence of psychological distress, defined by a cut-off score of BSI ≥ 13, was 19% during pregnancy and 15% during postpartum. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that high-risk pregnancy was the leading risk factor for psychological distress during the antenatal period (β = 1.776, P < 0.001), as well as its three subscales: somatization (β = 1.355, P = 0.019), anxiety symptoms (β = 2.249, P < 0.001), and depressive symptoms (β = 1.381, P = 0.028). Additionally, women with a gestational age < 20 weeks had a higher risk of psychological distress (β = 1.344, P = 0.038) and the somatization subscale (β = 1.641, P < 0.001). During the postpartum period, women residing in urban areas were at higher risk of psychological distress (β = 1.949, P = 0.012), as well as two subscales: anxiety symptoms (β = 1.998, P = 0.012) and depressive symptoms (β = 1.949, P = 0.020).

Conclusion: The high prevalence of psychological distress emphasizes detecting and treating PD during pregnancy and postpartum, particularly in women with high-risk pregnancies. This study suggests that obstetricians and midwives should implement programs to identify women experiencing psychological distress during early pregnancy through postpartum visits.

Keywords: Anxiety Depression; Distress; Postpartum; Pregnancy; Psychological; Risk factors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

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