Screening for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Prenatal Care: Prevalence and Characteristics in a Low-Income Population
UMass Chan Affiliations
Systems and Psychosocial Advances Research CenterDepartment of Psychiatry
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2016-10-01Keywords
Post-traumatic stress disorderPregnancy
Prenatal care
Screening
Health Services Administration
Maternal and Child Health
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Psychiatry
Psychiatry and Psychology
Women's Health
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Objectives: Investigate the feasibility of using a brief, 4-item PTSD screening tool (PTSD-PC) as part of routine prenatal care in two community health care settings serving ethnically and linguistically diverse low-income populations. Report prevalence and differences by sub-threshold and clinical levels, in demographic, health, mental health, risk behaviors, and service use. Methods: Women were screened as part of their prenatal intake visit over a 2-year period. Those screening positive at clinical or sub-threshold levels were recruited if they spoke English, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese or Arabic. Enrolled women were interviewed about psychosocial risk factors, prior traumas, PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety, substance use, health and services, using validated survey instruments. Results: Of 1362 women seen for prenatal intakes, 1259 (92 %) were screened, 208 (17 %) screened positive for PTSD at clinical (11 %) or sub-threshold levels (6 %), and 149 (72 % of all eligible women) enrolled in the study. Those screening positive were significantly younger, had more prior pregnancies, were less likely to be Asian or black, and were more likely to be non-English speakers. Enrolled women at clinical as compared to sub-threshold levels showed few differences in psychosocial risk, but had significantly more types of trauma, more trauma before age 18, more interpersonal trauma, and had greater depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. Only about 25 % had received mental health treatment. Conclusions: The PTSD-PC was a feasible screening tool for use in prenatal care. While those screening in at clinical levels were more symptomatic, those at subthreshold levels still showed substantial symptomology and psychosocial risk.Source
Matern Child Health J. 2016 Oct;20(10):1995-2002. doi: 10.1007/s10995-016-2073-2. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1007/s10995-016-2073-2Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/28798PubMed ID
27400916Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1007/s10995-016-2073-2