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Updated: Aug 24, 2026

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
Published on: June 13, 2021
The course of anxiety and depression through pregnancy and the postpartum in a community sample
Jonathan Heron1, Thomas G O'Connor, Jonathan Evans
1University of Bristol, UK.
Background:
Postnatal and antenatal depression are a focus of considerable clinical and research attention, but little is known about the patterns of anxiety across this period.
Methods:
Self-reported anxiety and depression were assessed at 18 and 32 weeks gestation and 8 weeks and 8 months postnatally in a prospective longitudinal study of a community sample of women in England (n=8323).
Results:
The majority of cases of postnatal depression were preceded by antenatal depression; similarly, postnatal anxiety was preceded by antenatal anxiety. Despite the stability of anxiety and depression across this period, there was a mean decrease in both anxiety and depression. Finally, antenatal anxiety predicted postnatal depression at 8 weeks and 8 months, even after controlling for antenatal depression (OR=3.22, p<0.001).
Limitations:
Data were based on self-report only and there was evidence of selective attrition.
Conclusion:
The findings confirm that antenatal anxiety occurs frequently, overlaps with depression and increases the likelihood of postnatal depression.
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