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Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
06:39

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

Systematic prenatal screening for psychosocial risks

Patricia A Harrison1, Abbey C Sidebottom

  • 1Research and Program Development, Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support, Minneapolis, MN 55415-1384, USA. pat.harrison@ci.minneapolis.mn.us

Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
|February 12, 2008
PubMed

Insights

The Prenatal Risk Overview (PRO) tool identified significant psychosocial risks, including housing instability and lack of social support, in nearly half of prenatal patients. Early screening is crucial for addressing these factors to improve birth outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Maternal and Child Health
  • Public Health
  • Psychosocial Epidemiology

Background:

  • Prenatal psychosocial risk factors significantly impact birth outcomes.
  • Effective screening tools are needed to identify at-risk populations.
  • Community health centers play a vital role in prenatal care delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the development and implementation of the Prenatal Risk Overview (PRO).
  • To examine the prevalence, co-occurrence, and inter-correlations of psychosocial risks in a prenatal population.
  • To establish a baseline for assessing the impact of risk identification on birth outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Development and implementation of the PRO tool across four community health centers.
  • Screening of 1,386 prenatal patients between November 2005 and April 2007.
  • Analysis of demographic data and prevalence of 13 psychosocial risk factors.

Main Results:

  • High prevalence of housing instability (48%), food insecurity (32%), and lack of social support (75%).
  • Significant rates of depression (18%) and substance use (23% cigarette, 23% alcohol, 25% drug use) were observed.
  • Low but present rates of intimate partner violence (7%) and other abuse (9%) were reported.

Conclusions:

  • The PRO tool effectively identifies a high burden of psychosocial risks in diverse prenatal populations.
  • Systematic assessment of these risks is essential for targeted interventions.
  • Quantifying risks is a critical step towards reducing adverse infant outcomes like mortality and preterm birth.

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