International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Women who experience psychological or physical violence during their pregnancy are more likely to suffer from post-natal depression (PND), according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Bristol in the UK and scientists from the Universidade de Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil, studied pregnant women aged between 18 and 49 for the study.

The 1,133 women, all from Recife in the north-east of Brazil, were questioned about the form of partner violence they experienced during gestation, then the Edinburgh post-natal depression scale was used to measure the levels of PND.

Some 26 per cent of them suffered from PND and the most common type of violence they experienced at the hands of their intimate partner was psychological.

Researcher Dr Ana Bernarda Ludermir said: "We recorded a clear positive association between the frequency of psychological violence during pregnancy and the occurrence of post-natal depression, even after adjustments.

"About ten per cent of the burden of post-natal depression could be attributed to partner violence during pregnancy, with most attributable to psychological violence, which was the most common form of violence in our study."

PND affects around one in ten mothers in the UK. It usually develops in the first four to six weeks after childbirth, according to the NHS.

Posted by Paul Robertson