Common mental disorders in mothers vs. infant and obstetric outcomes: a review

Pregnancy has been shown to increase women's vulnerability to mental disorders. Common mental disorders (CMDs) have been studied both in the general population and in pregnant vs. non-pregnant women. During pregnancy, CMDs have been considered a potential predictor of obstetric and infant outcomes.

A search was conducted on the PubMed/MEDLINE, LILACS, and SciELO databases to find relevant articles written in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. No limit was established for year of publication, but only studies involving human beings were included.

A total of 25 articles were selected. There was a consensus among studies that the mean prevalence of CMD during pregnancy is 20%. There was also agreement that the occurrence of CMDs during pregnancy is a predictor of postpartum depression and anxiety disorders and that the disorder remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. As for the positive association between CMDs and obstetric and infant complications, results are still conflicting. In lower-income countries, frequently there is an association between CMD and perinatal changes. It is argued that some confounding factors, such as sociodemographic and cultural differences, health and maternal conditions, and type of instruments used, probably contribute to this lack of consensus.

We believe that the conflicting results found in the literature are caused by differences in methodology and sociodemographic factors that influence the development of CMDs. Despite these differences, our findings underscore the need for depression and anxiety disorders during pregnancy to be studied and better identified by all professionals who provide antenatal care.