Associations between advanced maternal age and psychological distress in primiparous women, from early pregnancy to 18 months postpartum.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate if advanced maternal age at first birth increases the risk of psychological distress during pregnancy at 17 and 30 weeks of gestation and at 6 and 18 months after birth.


METHODS
National cohort study.


METHODS
Norway.


METHODS
A total of 19 291 nulliparous women recruited between 1999 and 2008 from hospitals and maternity units.


METHODS
Questionnaire data were obtained from the longitudinal Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, and register data from the national Medical Birth Register. Advanced maternal age was defined as ≥ 32 years and a reference group of women aged 25-31 years was used for comparisons. The distribution of psychological distress from 20 to ≥ 40 years was investigated, and the prevalence of psychological distress at the four time-points was estimated. Logistic regression analyses based on generalised estimation equations were used to investigate associations between advanced maternal age and psychological distress.


METHODS
Psychological distress measured by SCL-5.


RESULTS
Women of advanced age had slightly higher scores of psychological distress over the period than the reference group, also after controlling for obstetric and infant variables. The youngest women had the highest scores. A history of depression increased the risk of distress in all women. With no history of depression, women of advanced age were not at higher risk. Changes over time were similar between groups and lowest at 6 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Women of 32 years and beyond had slightly increased risk of psychological distress during pregnancy and the first 18 months of motherhood compared with women aged 25-31 years.
Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. vaa@hib.no
V
V
Aasheim
U
U
Waldenström
A
A
Hjelmstedt
S
S
Rasmussen
H
H
Pettersson
E
E
Schytt
D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D010298:Parity; D011181:Postnatal Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D060728:Reproductive Health; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*