Pre-partum distress in women with intellectual disabilities

This study investigates depression, anxiety and stress in pregnant women with intellectual disabilities and/or self-reported learning difficulties, and examines the association between these negative emotional states and perceived support and conflict in the women's interpersonal relationships.

Eight-hundred-and-seventy-eight women attending their first antenatal visit in a socioeconomically disadvantaged area of Sydney, Australia during a 5-month period in 2002 completed a brief questionnaire to identify those with intellectual disabilities (ID) and/or self-reported learning difficulties. These 57 women were then invited to participate in a series of three interviews (two pre- and one post-partum). The second interview, which was conducted with 31 women in their third trimester, incorporated standard measures of depression, anxiety and stress, and support and conflict in interpersonal relationships, and is the subject of the research reported here.

More than one-third of the women interviewed reported moderate to severe depression, anxiety and stress. A significant association was found between depression and both perceived support and conflict in interpersonal relationships. Stress was associated with conflict but not with either perceived support. Anxiety was not significantly associated with either perceived support or conflict.

Negative emotional states in this population of women may be confounded with their cognitive deficits. Routine antenatal screening for negative emotional states is therefore recommended to ensure that the mental health care needs of women with ID and/or self-reported learning difficulties are not overlooked.