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Lifetime substance use as a predictor of postpartum mental health

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Abstract

Postpartum mood disorders (PPMD) affect approximately 10–20% of women and have adverse consequences for both mom and baby. Lifetime substance use has received limited attention in relation to PPMD. The present study examined associations of lifetime alcohol and drug use with postpartum mental health problems. Women (n = 100) within approximately 3 months postpartum (M = 2.01, SD = 1.32) participated in semi-structured interviews querying lifetime substance use, mental health history, and postpartum symptoms of anxiety, stress, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and obsessive compulsive disorder. The study was conducted in an urban Canadian city from 2009 to 2010. Analyses revealed that lifetime substance use increased the variability explained in postpartum PTSD (p = .011), above and beyond sociodemographic characteristics and mental health history. The same trend, though not significant, was observed for stress (p = .059) and anxiety (p = .070). Lifetime drug use, specifically, was associated with postpartum stress (p = .021) and anxiety (p = .041), whereas lifetime alcohol use was not (ps ≥ .128). Findings suggest that lifetime drug use is associated with PPMD. Future research should examine whether screening for lifetime drug use during antenatal and postpartum care improves identification of women experiencing PPMD.

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Notes

  1. All women were recruited within 0–3 months postpartum; however, some participants were ultimately not interviewed until 4 (n = 10) or 5 (n = 3) months postpartum due to scheduling difficulties. These participants were retained in all analyses, as there were no significant differences in any of the outcome variables or SASSI-3 scales as a function of baby age (ps ≥ .220).

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this study was provided by the British Columbia Mental Health and Addictions Research Network, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7650, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7650, USA

    Betty-Shannon Prevatt & Sarah L. Desmarais

  2. School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Rm 103, 2206 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada

    Patricia A. Janssen

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  1. Betty-Shannon Prevatt
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Correspondence to Betty-Shannon Prevatt.

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Betty-Shannon Prevatt, Sarah L. Desmarais, and Patricia A. Janssen declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Prevatt, BS., Desmarais, S.L. & Janssen, P.A. Lifetime substance use as a predictor of postpartum mental health. Arch Womens Ment Health 20, 189–199 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-016-0694-5

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