Trajectories of antenatal depression and adverse pregnancy outcomes: A prospective cohort study

Antenatal depression symptom is a global health concern, but the trajectories of antenatal depression symptom vary across different studies. Additionally, the influencing factors and adverse pregnancy outcomes of antenatal depression symptom may differ across heterogeneous subtypes, which requires further exploration.

A prospective cohort study was conducted in Hubei province, China, from July 2022 to September 2023. Pregnant women (<14 weeks) were enrolled and followed up at 16, 21, 28, and 37 gestational weeks, with depressive symptom measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Latent class growth modeling and logistic regression were used for data analysis.

Of 1034 women enrolled, 725 completed all follow-ups. Four depressive symptom trajectories were identified: no depression group (32.13%), persistent subclinical depression group (42.48%), persistent moderate depression group (19.17%), and persistent high depression group (6.21%). Risk factors of depressive symptom trajectories included low social capital, unplanned pregnancy, primiparity, mental illness history, high perceived stress, and low resilience (p < 0.05). Compared to the no depression group, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk was 1.90 times higher in the persistent moderate group and 2.59 times higher in the persistent high group; small for gestational age (SGA) risk was 2.42 times higher in the persistent moderate group and 3.98 times higher in the persistent high group.

This study identified four antenatal depressive symptom trajectories. Persistent moderate and high depression groups were linked to GDM and SGA, highlighting the importance of mental health assessments and intervention for pregnant women, especially those with higher depression severity, to prevent adverse outcomes.