Comorbid anxiety and depression (CAD) at early stages of the pregnancy. A multicultural cross-sectional study

When anxiety and depression are comorbid (CAD), symptoms are more severe and the response to treatments is worse. Given the links between mood disorders and poor perinatal outcomes, CAD and its correlates deserve special clinical attention during pregnancy. The main objective of this study was to learn about the prevalence of comorbid anxiety and depression (CAD) in early stages of the pregnancy analyzing the relationship between CAD and cultural and sociodemographic factors.

We have studied a multicultural sample of 514 Turkish and Spanish pregnant women (264 in Málaga, 102 in Istambul and 148 in Antalya) recruited at the moment of their first pregnancy medical check-up between 10 and 12 weeks of pregnancy. These women completed a questionnaire that included the Turkish or Spanish validated versions of the Edinburg postnatal depression scale (EDS), the state and trait anxiety scale (STAI) and a series of questions related to health status, general mood, and sociodemographic variables.

We found a CAD prevalence rate of 26.9% and a significant higher prevalence rate among Turkish women (47.6%) when compared to Spanish participants (9.5%) (p<0.001). The multivariate analysis showed that the lack of someone who provided emotional support was the variable that best predicted CAD symptoms.

The CAD prevalence rate was high and significant differences were found depending on the geographic and cultural context.