Chemical dependence and clinical Depression in pregnancy

Abstract

The Short Form of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was administered to 54 chemically dependent pregnant women to assess the extent and depth of depression in the population. The women were divided into three groups by age: Teenagers, young adults, and older adults. Results suggested that this population, as a whole, scored very high on this depression scale. Further, results indicated that the older chemically dependent women scored significantly higher on the depression index than did either of the two younger groups, while the teenagers obtained a mean score comparable to that of the general adolescent population.The negative effects of substance abuse o n maternal attachment and parenting are compounded by depression and anxiety in the pregnant addict. In this study, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to assess the extent and depth of depressive symptomotology in a population of chemically dependent pregnant women.Requests for reprints should be addressed to Kayreen A. Burns, Ph.D.

Carrying the Burdens of Poverty, Parenting, and Addiction: Depression Symptoms and Self-Silencing Among Ethnically Diverse Women

“…Substance abuse among pregnant women remains a particular concern, with approximately 1.9% of pregnant women reporting binge alcohol use (Centers for Disease Control [CDC] 2004) and 3.7% reporting drug use during the previous month on population-based surveys (SAM-HSA 2002). Studies have reported a high incidence of cooccurring mental health disorders among substance abusing pregnant women, including overall psychological distress (Miles et al 2001) and depressive symptoms (Burns et al 1985;Marcenko and Spence 1995). The burden of depression coupled with substance abuse makes the treatment prognosis worse than for either problem alone (Bobo et al 1998;Greenfield et al 1998;Driessen et al 2001).…”

Mood disorders affect drug treatment success of drug-dependent pregnant women

“…This rate is comparable to the general substance abuse population; however, it is much higher than rates of Axis I disorders in the general population. Depression is especially prevalent (56%) in drug-dependent pregnant populations (Burns, Melamed, Burns, Chasnoff, & Hatcher, 1985;Regan, Leifer, Matteucci, & Finnegan, 1982). The assessment of depression is important in substance-abusing pregnant women because it can negatively impact treatment outcomes, as shown in samples of cocaine-using pregnant women (Haller, Miles, & Dawson, 2002;Ingersoll, Lu, & Haller, 1995), and contribute to adverse maternal outcomes (Regan, Rudrandff, & Finnegan, 1980).…”

Treatment of opioid-dependent pregnant women: Clinical and research issues

“…There is a high prevalence (56%-73%) of co-occurring Axis I disorders in drug-dependent pregnant women (Burns, Melamed, Burns, Chasnoff, & Hatcher, 1985;Fitzsimons, Tuten, Vaidya, & Jones, 2007;Haller et al, 1993;Regan, Leifer, Matteucci, & Finnegan, 1982). Mood disorders during pregnancy have been associated with adverse maternal health behaviors, a high risk of postpartum depression, and behavioral effects on the offspring (Bonari et al, 2004;Cohen, Nonacs, Viguera, & Reminick, 2004).…”