Maternal psychosocial outcome after early onset preeclampsia and preterm birth

To evaluate the impact of severe, early onset preeclampsia on long-term maternal psychosocial outcome after preterm birth.

Women with severe, early onset preeclampsia before 32 weeks' gestation (cases) admitted in a tertiary university referral center between 1993 and 2004, and women with preterm delivery without preeclampsia (controls), matched for age, parity, gestational age at delivery, ethnicity, and year of delivery. Women who consented to participation received three questionnaires in 2008 concerning depression (Zung Depression Scale: score range 0-20; 20 items with 2-point frequency scale: no = 0 and yes = 1), posttraumatic stress symptoms (Impact of Event Scale: score range 0-75; 15 items with 4-point frequency scale: not at all = 0, rarely = 1, sometimes = 3 and often = 5. Scores > 19 are regarded as high symptom levels), and social aspects (Social Readjustment Rating Scale: selection of six items concerning relational aspects with husband/partner, employer, or future family planning).

Included in the study were 104 cases and 78 controls (response rate 79% and 58%, respectively). There was no difference in depression scores between cases (5.4 ± 4.0) and controls (5.4 ± 4.3). Patients with severe, early onset preeclampsia had significantly higher scores of posttraumatic stress symptoms (28.7 ± 8.6 vs. 25.7 ± 7.9). The majority of women among both cases and controls had high-posttraumatic stress symptom levels (88% vs. 79%). No differences could be found in relational aspects.

Women with preterm birth due to severe, early onset preeclampsia experience more often posttraumatic stress symptoms on average 7 years after the pregnancy compared to women with preterm birth without preeclampsia.