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Updated: May 12, 2026
08:42
Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression
Published on: May 19, 2015
Postpartum self-harm thoughts and subsequent risk of intentional self-harm
Xiaoqin Liu1, Erik Christiansen2,3, Veerle Bergink4,5
1NCRR-The National Centre for Register-based Research, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark lxq.ncrr@au.dk.
BMJ Mental Health
|February 24, 2026
Summary
Postpartum women reporting self-harm thoughts face an 11-fold increased risk of subsequent hospital-recorded intentional self-harm. Early assessment and support are crucial for at-risk mothers to prevent maternal mortality.
Area of Science:
- Perinatal mental health
- Maternal mortality
- Suicide prevention
Background:
- Suicide is a significant cause of preventable maternal mortality.
- The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) item 10 screens for self-harm thoughts.
- Identifying at-risk postpartum women is critical for intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if positive responses to EPDS item 10 predict hospital-registered intentional self-harm in postpartum women.
- To quantify the association between self-harm thoughts and subsequent self-harm events.
Main Methods:
- Population-based cohort study in Denmark linking nationwide registers.
- Included 170,218 childbirths from 142,795 women.
- Used inverse propensity-score weighting and Firth's penalised logistic regression to adjust for confounding.
Main Results:
- 1.7% of women reported self-harm thoughts (EPDS item 10).
- Women with self-harm thoughts had a 24-fold higher crude rate of hospitalised intentional self-harm.
- Adjusted odds ratio for intentional self-harm was 10.91 (95% CI 7.03 to 17.99).
Conclusions:
- Postpartum women reporting self-harm thoughts have a significantly elevated relative risk (11-fold) of intentional self-harm.
- Despite low absolute risk, the increased relative risk underscores the need for proactive care.
- Timely assessment and support are vital for mothers screening positive for self-harm thoughts.
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