Prevalence and correlates of suicidal behaviors during pregnancy: evidence from the National Survey on Drug Use and Heal
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Prevalence and correlates of suicidal behaviors during pregnancy: evidence from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health Panagiota Kitsantas 1 & Salman M. Aljoudi 1 & Amy R. Adams 2 & Edward J. Booth 1 Received: 20 March 2020 / Accepted: 3 November 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Suicidal behaviors during pregnancy are prevalent and have the potential to adversely affect a woman’s health and her developing infant. The purpose of this study was to examine prevalence and correlates of suicidal behaviors in a national sample of pregnant women. Using data from the 2009–2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a sample of 7479 pregnant women was analyzed. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine associations between sample characteristics and suicidal behaviors overall and by pregnancy trimester. In this sample, 3.4% of women exhibited suicidal behaviors such as ideation, planning, and attempt. Suicidal behaviors were more prevalent at 4.4% among women in the first trimester compared to the second/third trimesters (2.9%). Of those exhibiting suicidal behavior, 63.0% were ideators, 18.9% planned suicide, and 18.1% attempted suicide. Logistic regression analyses revealed that all racial/ethnic groups of women in the third trimester were less likely to be suicidal relative to black non-Hispanic women. Alcohol abuse (OR 3.70, 95% CI 1.97, 6.81) and major depressive episode (OR 4.91, 95% CI 3.10, 7.84) in the past year significantly increased the odds of suicidality for all pregnant women. Perceived unmet need for treatment increased the likelihood (OR 5.64, 95% CI 3.55, 8.97) of suicidal behavior regardless of trimester. These findings underscore the importance of screening for suicidal behaviors in the first trimester, especially among those with existing mood disorders and substance abuse. Racial/ethnic differences should be considered in targeted interventions for suicide prevention. Keywords Suicidal behaviors . Suicide . Pregnancy . Pregnancy trimester . Mental health treatment . NSDUH
Introduction Suicidal behaviors (e.g., suicidal ideation, suicide plans, and suicide attempts) among pregnant women constitute a serious public health problem in the USA. Prevalence estimates of suicidal ideation among pregnant women range from 3 to 33%, with a higher prevalence in the USA compared to other countries (Gelaye et al. 2016). Over the last decade, several studies examined correlates of suicidal behavior in the prenatal and postnatal periods (Howard et al. 2011; Gavin et al. 2011; Zhong et al. 2016; Onah et al. 2017). A recent review * Panagiota Kitsantas [email protected] 1
Department of Health Administration and Policy, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, MS 5B7, VA 22030-4444 Fairfax, USA
2
Department of Global and Community Health, George Mason University, 4400 University Dr., Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
study described significant risk factors for antepartum suicidal ideation, including history of abuse, unplanned pregnancy, abortion i
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