Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder in pregnant women with prior pregnancy complications.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in pregnant women with prior pregnancy complications.


METHODS
Seventy-six pregnant women at a maternal-fetal medicine referral clinic were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire. Fifty-six women had a prior pregnancy complication (study group), and the remaining 20 had none (comparison group). Subjects were assessed with a questionnaire consisting of a modified patient-rated version of the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). The modified CAPS was used to approximate the prevalence of full or partial PTSD related to a prior pregnancy complication using two scoring rules, the rule-of-3 (original rule) and rule-of-4 (more stringent rule).


RESULTS
The prevalence of full PTSD among women with prior pregnancy complications was 12.5% and 8.9% based on the rule-of-3 and rule-of-4, respectively. For partial PTSD, the prevalence was 28.6% based on the rule-of-3 versus 17.9% based on the rule-of-4. The most common type of complication was miscarriage, accounting for 73.5% of the reported complications. None of the women in the comparison group met criteria for full or partial PTSD.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of PTSD in pregnant women with a prior pregnancy-related complication is considerable. These findings provide additional evidence that pregnancy complications can be experienced as traumatic, and as such lead to partial or full PTSD symptoms.
Forray
Ariadna
A
Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA. ariadna.forray@yale.edu
Mayes
Linda C
LC
Magriples
Urania
U
Epperson
Cynthia Neill
CN
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D015995:Prevalence; D012107:Research Design; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires