Psychotic-like experiences in pregnant and postpartum women without a history of psychosis

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigated whether psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) are prevalent amongst women in pregnancy and/or in the early postnatal phase, and whether the predictors identified in the literature for non-puerperal psychosis apply in a general sample of perinatal women.

Method: 101 women in their third trimester of pregnancy completed questionnaire measures of mood, subjective well-being, sleep, expectations about labour, and PLEs. 66 of these participants also completed questionnaires shortly after giving birth. The main outcome measures were scores on the Peters Delusions Inventory (PDI) and the Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale-Revised (LSHS-R).

Results: During pregnancy, 80% of the samples endorsed at least one item on the PDI, and 76% endorsed at least one item on the LSHS-R. Endorsement rates were lower postnatally, with rates of 59% and 52% for the PDI and LSHS-R, respectively. Mean scores on the PDI were 3.07 during pregnancy and 1.61 postnatally. Mean scores on the LSHS-R were 8.38 during pregnancy and 5.24 postnatally. Hierarchical multiPLEs regression analyses revealed that ratings of depressive symptomatology significantly predicted PDI total score during pregnancy and LSHS-R total score postnatally, whilst postnatally, scores obtained on the PDI and LSHS-R postnatally were significantly predicted by scores on these measures during pregnancy. Fear in childbirth, but not in pregnancy, showed associations with PLEs but these associations were not maintained once multivariate analyses were conducted.

Conclusions: The results of this study support the continuum model of psychosis, by illustrating that PLEs occur frequently in perinatal individuals without a diagnosis of severe mental illness.

Keywords: Postpartum; Pregnancy; Psychosis; Psychotic-like.