Pre-conception self-harm, maternal mental health and mother-infant bonding problems: a 20-year prospective cohort study
Open accessAbstract
Background: Self-harm in young people is associated with later problems in social and emotional development. However, it is unknown whether self-harm in young women continues to be a marker of vulnerability on becoming a parent. This study prospectively describes the associations between pre-conception self-harm, maternal depressive symptoms and mother–infant bonding problems. Methods: The Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study (VIHCS) is a follow-up to the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study (VAHCS) in Australia. Socio-demographic and health variables were assessed at 10 time-points (waves) from ages 14 to 35, including self-reported self-harm at waves 3–9. VIHCS enrolment began in 2006 (when participants were aged 28–29 years), by contacting VAHCS women every 6 months to identify pregnancies over a 7-year period. Perinatal depressive symptoms were assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale during the third trimester, and 2 and 12 months postpartum. Mother–infant bonding problems were assessed with the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire at 2 and 12 months postpartum. Results: Five hundred sixty-four pregnancies from 384 women were included. One in 10 women (9.7%) reported pre-conception self-harm. Women who reported self-harming in young adulthood (ages 20–29) reported higher levels of perinatal depressive symptoms and mother–infant bonding problems at all perinatal time points [perinatal depressive symptoms adjusted β = 5.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.42–7.39; mother–infant bonding problems adjusted β = 7.51, 95% CI 3.09–11.92]. There was no evidence that self-harm in adolescence (ages 15–17) was associated with either perinatal outcome. Conclusions: Self-harm during young adulthood may be an indicator of future vulnerability to perinatal mental health and mother–infant bonding problems.
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- Authors
- Borschmann, R., Molyneaux, E., Spry, E., Moran, P., Howard, L. M., Macdonald, J. A., Brown, S. J., Moreno-Betancur, M., Olsson, C. A., & Patton, G. C.
- Affiliations
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- King's College London (GB)
- Deakin University (AU)
- University of Bristol (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Molyneaux, Emma
- ORCID
- Venue
- Psychological Medicine
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2018-12-18
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 16
- Pages
- 2727-2735
- ISSN
- 0033-2917 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8978
- OpenAlex
- W2904592684
- Cited by
- 25
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3
- FWCI
- 2.86
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Licence
- Locations
- Psychological Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Explore Bristol Research (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Research Institute
- Children's Hospital Foundation
- University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR-RP-R3-12-S011, NIHR-RP-R3-12-011)
- King's College London
- University of Bristol
- Australian Rotary Health
- State Government of Victoria
- Medical Research Council
- Australian Research Council (DP130101459)
- National Health and Medical Research Council (1104644, 1019887, 1063091, 1103976, 437015, 1008273)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Keywords
- self-harm, maternal mental health, perinatal depression, mother-infant bonding, postpartum depression, young women, pregnancy, adolescent self-harm, intergenerational health
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Depression, Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Infant, Mother-Child Relations, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Prospective Studies, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Surveys and Questionnaires, Victoria, Self-Injurious Behavior, Depression, Postpartum, Young Adult
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