TY - JOUR PY - 2018// TI - The prevalence and correlates of self-harm ideation trajectories in Australian women from pregnancy to 4-years postpartum JO - Journal of affective disorders A1 - Giallo, Rebecca A1 - Pilkington, Pamela A1 - Borschmann, Rohan A1 - Seymour, Monique A1 - Dunning, Melissa A1 - Brown, Stephanie SP - 152 EP - 158 VL - 229 IS - N2 - OBJECTIVES: Women in the perinatal period are at increased risk of experiencing self-harm ideation. The current study longitudinally examines the prevalence, trajectories, and correlates of self-harm ideation in a population-based sample of Australian women from pregnancy through to the early years of parenting.

METHODS: Drawing on data from 1507 women participating in a prospective pregnancy cohort study, data were collected during pregnancy, at 3-, 6-, 12-, and 18-months postpartum, and 4-years postpartum. Longitudinal Latent Class Analysis was conducted to identify groups of women based on their responses to thoughts of self-harm at each time-point. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with group membership.

RESULTS: Approximately 4-5% of women reported experiencing self-harm ideation at each time-point from pregnancy to 4-years postpartum. Cross-sectional analyses revealed that self-harm ideation was most frequently endorsed in the first 12-months postpartum (4.6%), and approximately 15% of women reported self-harm ideation at least once during the study period. Longitudinally, approximately 7% of women had an enduring pattern of self-harm ideation from pregnancy to 4-years postpartum. Women who had experienced a range of preconception and current social health issues and disadvantage were at increased risk of self-harm ideation over time. LIMITATIONS: Limitations included use of brief measures, along with an underrepresentation of participants with particular socio-demographic characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS: A proportion of women are at increased risk of experiencing self-harm ideation during the perinatal period and in the early years of parenting, underscoring the need for early identification during pregnancy and early postpartum to facilitate timely early intervention.

Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0165-0327 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.12.064 ID - ref1 ER -