Adverse Childhood Experiences and Antenatal Depression: The Mediating Role of Social Support

This study aimed to examine the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and antenatal depression among women in Taiwan and investigate the mediating effects of partner support and social support on that relationship.

An online survey was conducted, and 456 women aged ≥ 20 years with childbirth experience responded. The participants were asked to recall and self-report their childhood experiences and their perceived social support and mental health status during pregnancy. Linear regression was used to test the association between ACEs and antenatal depression, and causal mediation analysis was performed to analyze the mediating effects of partner support and social support.

More than 85% of the participants had experienced at least one type of ACE, and 25.8% reported experiencing four or more ACEs. Our findings indicated that ACEs were associated with antenatal depression. We also found that participants who reported emotional abuse had the highest scores for antenatal depression, followed by those who reported a household member being treated violently and those who reported sexual abuse. Moreover, women with more ACEs were more likely to suffer from antenatal depression. Mediation analysis revealed that partner support and social support accounted for 20.23% and 36.83%, respectively, of the associations between ACEs and antenatal depression.

The findings of this study suggest that ACEs have a pervasive impact on antenatal depression. Early intervention to prevent ACEs as well as improvements to the availability of social support for pregnant women should be provided to prevent antenatal depression, which will in turn improve fetal growth and development.