Depression and Anxiety of At-Risk Patients in Antepartum Units: A Pilot Observational Study

Abstract

Background Perinatal depression is a common yet underdiagnosed and undertreated disorder that can occur in any trimester of pregnancy and can extend into the postpartum period. The aim of this study was to evaluate depression and anxiety in at-risk antepartum patients hospitalized due to pregnancy complications. Methods In this prospective observational study, we measured anxiety and depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and other contributing factors. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Version 25.0 with significance set at a p-value <0.05. Results and Discussion While 78% had no prior history of treatment for depression (p=0.018), about 33% had a history of depression. Anxiety and depression scores increased from a mean score of 2.8 on PHQ-9 and 3.5 on GAD-7 on admission to 5.0 and 6.8 during antepartum hospitalization, respectively. Conclusions This pilot study showed that antepartum admission of at-risk patients was trending toward increased risk of anxiety and depression over time.