Cited by 610Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and PostpartumAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesMaternal and Neonatal Healthcare

The Prevalence of Anxiety Disorders During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period: A Multivariate Bayesian Meta-Analysis

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Fawcett, Emily J., Fairbrother, Nichole, Cox, Megan L., White, Ian R., Fawcett, Jonathan M.·2019·The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of anxiety disorders in pregnant and postpartum women and identify predictors accounting for variability across estimates. DATA SOURCES: An electronic search of PsycINFO and PubMed was conducted from inception until July 2016, without date or language restrictions, and supplemented by articles referenced in the obtained sources. A Boolean search phrase utilized a combination of keywords related to pregnancy, postpartum, prevalence, and specific anxiety disorders. STUDY SELECTION: Articles reporting the prevalence of 1 or more of 8 common anxiety disorders in pregnant or postpartum women were included. A total of 2,613 records were retrieved, with 26 studies ultimately included. DATA EXTRACTION: Anxiety disorder prevalence and potential predictor variables (eg, parity) were extracted from each study. A Bayesian multivariate modeling approach estimated the prevalence and between-study heterogeneity of each disorder and the prevalence of having 1 or more anxiety disorder. RESULTS: Individual disorder prevalence estimates ranged from 1.1% for posttraumatic stress disorder to 4.8% for specific phobia, with the prevalence of having at least 1 or more anxiety disorder estimated to be 20.7% (95% highest density interval [16.7% to 25.4%]). Substantial between-study heterogeneity was observed, suggesting that "true" prevalence varies broadly across samples. There was evidence of a small (3.1%) tendency for pregnant women to be more susceptible to anxiety disorders than postpartum women. CONCLUSIONS: Peripartum anxiety disorders are more prevalent than previously thought, with 1 in 5 women in a typical sample meeting diagnostic criteria for at least 1 disorder. These findings highlight the need for anxiety screening, education, and referral in obstetrics and gynecology settings.

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  • Pregnancy poses a significant risk for parental psychopathology, particularly internalizing problems.

    “Pregnancy, therefore, poses a significant risk for parental psychopathology, particularly internalizing problems (i.e., depression and anxiety [5, 6, 7]).”

    From Trajectories of Maternal and Paternal Internalizing Symptoms from Pregnancy to 2 Years Postpartum: Identifying Modifiable Risk and Protective Factors (2024) · cites this paper as [5]

    The Results report that about one in five peripartum women met criteria for an anxiety disorder, and the Discussion’s Future Research section reports elevated OCD risk. But that section says there is no evidence of increased perinatal onset or exacerbation for other anxiety disorders and calls for comparisons with the general population. The paper therefore does not establish the broader claim that pregnancy itself significantly increases risk for parental psychopathology, including depression. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • One in five pregnant or postpartum women experiences one or more types of anxiety disorders or anxiety-related conditions during this period.

    “Specifically, one in five pregnant or postpartum women experiences one or more types of anxiety disorders or anxiety-related conditions during this period.”

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [88]American college of obstetricians and gynecologists Screening for perinatal depression. Committee Opinion No. 630 Obstet Gynecol 2015 125 1268 1271 25932866

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Authors
Fawcett, E. J., Fairbrother, N., Cox, M. L., White, I. R., & Fawcett, J. M.
Affiliations
  • Memorial University of Newfoundland (CA)
  • University of British Columbia (CA)
  • MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL (GB)
Venue
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
Published
2019-07-23
Volume
80
Issue
4
ISSN
  • 0160-6689 (ISSN-L)
  • 1555-2101
OpenAlex
W2964029936
Cited by
609
References
119
Citations by year
2026: 98 · 2025: 124 · 2024: 109 · 2023: 98 · 2022: 86 · 2021: 67 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1
FWCI
40.98
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12023/21)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare
Keywords
anxiety disorders, pregnancy, postpartum period, perinatal anxiety, prevalence, post-traumatic stress disorder, specific phobia, parity, study heterogeneity, anxiety screening, obstetrics and gynecology
MeSH terms
Anxiety Disorders, Bayes Theorem, Female, Humans, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Puerperal Disorders, Prevalence

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