title: A longitudinal study of psychiatric symptoms in primiparous women: relation to personality disorders and sociodemographic factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the prevalence of personality disorders (PDs) and elucidate the importance of PDs, sociodemographics and health-related factors for the development of psychiatric symptoms in primiparous women.
  
  
  METHODS
  625 primiparous women were assessed during pregnancy, three and 18 months following delivery. The Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), the modified SCID-screen questionnaire and the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF) were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of PDs was 6.4%. PD was strongly associated with psychiatric symptoms during and after pregnancy. The most important factor predicting long-lasting mental problems was having a PD. A higher level of psychiatric symptoms was found in pregnancy than postpartum. Psychiatric caseness during pregnancy was strongly associated with caseness postpartum. In addition, socio-economic status, younger age and previous treatment for mental problems were identified as risk factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study indicates a strong association between long-lasting psychiatric illness and personality disorders in childbearing women. A strong association was also found between psychiatric symptoms during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institutet, Neurotec Department, Division of Psychiatry, Karolinska University Hospital/Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Börjesson
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ruppert
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bågedahl-Strindlund
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010298:Parity; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013694:Temperament