Period prevalence and types of psychosocial risk factors in pregnant women in an urban Swedish community

Abstract

During a three‐year period a total population of pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Linköping, Sweden was screened for being at psychosocial risk. The prevalence of different psychosocial risk factors was compared with the corresponding prevalence in women referred to and accepting or declining to take part in a specialised training programme at a parent–baby clinic. In general, the present study showed that there was a constant proportion of about 4–5% of pregnant women with psychosocial risk factors. Psychiatric problems and social problems of relevance for pregnancies/parenthood were about equally frequent (i.e. 44 and 45%), while drug‐addiction problems were at 11%. Only one in three women with risk factors were eventually referred to the parent–baby clinic, and every second woman referred finally took part in the programme. With the knowledge that an early intervention in families with psychosocial risk factors may alleviate some adverse or disadvantageous developments in children, it is a challenge to identify and to motivate these women to enrol in various support and training programmes. There are still too few pregnant women at risk who are ready to accept the further support that they may need, and the rationale for their reluctance must be better known.

Children of mothers at psychosocial risk growing up: A follow up at the age of 16

“…Drug problems are often related to psychiatric problems, and it can sometimes be difficult to decide which problem area it is that precedes or generates the other (Sydsjo¨& Wadsby, 2003). However, while there is no uniformly held view based on research on the impact of parental alcohol abuse on children's health, researchers who have studied the impact on children of parental psychiatric illness do hold rather uniform views.…”