The effect of maternal depression and anxiety on labour and the well-being of the newborn

Abstract

Maternal symptomatology during pregnancy represents a significant risk factor for women and children. The main focus of this paper is to jointly investigate the role of maternal depression and anxiety during pregnancy on the well-being of the newborn, through their influences on the clinical aspects of labour.

A longitudinal study was conducted on 167 pregnant women (M_age=32.07, SD = 4.50) recruited in the third trimester of gestation. The data was collected at two different times: the socio-demographical data and prenatal anxiety and depression were assessed at T1 (31–32 week of gestation); the clinical data on childbirth (duration of labour, administration of oxytocin and epidural analgesia) and the Apgar index of the newborn were registered at T2 (the day of childbirth). A structural equation modeling was performed using the MPLUS statistical programme.

The results showed that a maternal psychopathological symptomatology during pregnancy constitutes a significant risk factor for the well-being of the newborn. In particular, both prenatal anxiety and depression negatively affect the clinical aspects of the labour experience and, indirectly, the Apgar index. The limitations, strengths, and theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.

Impact statement

• What is already known on this subject? Depression and anxiety during pregnancy can negatively affect the well-being of women, the experience of labour and delivery, and birth outcomes. All of these aspects are documented in literature, however, they are usually analysed independently.

• What do the results of this study add? This is the first study that analyses all of the above psychological and clinical variables together, testing a theoretical model where prenatal anxiety and depression influence the newborn’s Apgar index, through the clinical aspects of labour. The outcomes highlight the role that depressive and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy and the labour experience play on the newborn’s wellbeing.

• What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Overall, our data confirms the importance of putting a new light on maternal psychological symptoms during pregnancy and birth experience, considering them as complex human processes in which psychological and physical aspects are highly interconnected, influencing maternal and newborn well-being. Our results highlight how important it is that, when approaching the delivery experience, healthcare professionals pay attention not only to the physical condition of pregnant women and newborns, but also to the psychological condition of women, given the impact this can have on delivery and, therefore, on the baby’s wellbeing.

Keywords:

• Prenatal anxiety
• prenatal depression
• labour experience
• apgar index

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Dr. Valeria Castagna for her help with data collection.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Martina Smorti

All authors contributed to the conception and design of the study. Moreover: Franca Tani revised the manuscript critically for important intellectual content and supervised the acquisition of data. Lucia Ponti has contributed to the analysis, interpretation of data and the drafting of the ‘Methods and materials’ section. Martina Smorti contributed to the drafting of the introduction and discussion sections of the manuscript.

Lucia Ponti

All authors contributed to the conception and design of the study. Moreover: Franca Tani revised the manuscript critically for important intellectual content and supervised the acquisition of data. Lucia Ponti has contributed to the analysis, interpretation of data and the drafting of the ‘Methods and materials’ section. Martina Smorti contributed to the drafting of the introduction and discussion sections of the manuscript.

Franca Tani

All authors contributed to the conception and design of the study. Moreover: Franca Tani revised the manuscript critically for important intellectual content and supervised the acquisition of data. Lucia Ponti has contributed to the analysis, interpretation of data and the drafting of the ‘Methods and materials’ section. Martina Smorti contributed to the drafting of the introduction and discussion sections of the manuscript.