Mental Health Profile Relating to Suicide Crises Among Women in and Around Pregnancy and Surgical Termination of Pregnancy: A Data Linkage Study

Carla Meurk; Susan Roberts; Michael Lam; Lisa Wittenhagen; Leonie Callaway; Katherine Moss; Jayne Lucke; Ruth Barker; Elissa Waterson; Natasha Malmstrom; Edward Weaver; Elisabeth Hoehn; Ed Heffernan

doi:10.1111/birt.12917

Mental Health Profile Relating to Suicide Crises Among Women in and Around Pregnancy and Surgical Termination of Pregnancy: A Data Linkage Study

Birth. 2025 Mar 28. doi: 10.1111/birt.12917. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Carla Meurk^{1

2}, Susan Roberts³, Michael Lam^{1

2

4}, Lisa Wittenhagen^{1

2}, Leonie Callaway^{5

6}, Katherine Moss^{1

2

4}, Jayne Lucke⁷, Ruth Barker^{8

9}, Elissa Waterson^{1

4}, Natasha Malmstrom¹⁰, Edward Weaver¹¹, Elisabeth Hoehn¹², Ed Heffernan^{1

2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Forensic Mental Health Group, Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Queensland Health, West Moreton Hospital and Health Service, Wacol, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
² The University of Queensland, School of Public Health, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
³ Perinatal Mental Health Service and Lavender Mother and Baby Unit Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Southport, Queensland, Australia.
⁴ Queensland Forensic Mental Health Service, Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
⁵ The University of Queensland, Royal Brisbane Clinical Unit, Medicine, Brisbane, Australia.
⁶ Department of Obstetric Medicine, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
⁷ School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁸ Queensland Children's Hospital, Queensland Health, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
⁹ Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit, Jamieson Trauma Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
¹⁰ Lived Experience Consultant, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
¹¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology/Women's and Children's, Griffith University School of Medicine and Dentistry, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
¹² Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health, Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

PMID: 40152338
DOI: 10.1111/birt.12917

Abstract

Introduction: This article presents an assessment of the mental health profile of women who were the subject of a suicide-related call to police or paramedics around the time of (i) pregnancy or (ii) surgical termination of pregnancy compared to (iii) other women of a similar age.

Methods: Findings are drawn from a population-wide linked dataset of approximately 70,000 individuals who were the subject of a suicide-related call to police or paramedics in Queensland, Australia. Mental health diagnoses were assessed based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (fifth edition). Behavior, impairment, symptoms, and social functioning were assessed using Health of the Nation Outcome Scores (HoNOS).

Results: 32.7% of individuals had a record of one or more confirmed mental health diagnoses. The presence of a mental health diagnosis differed significantly across subgroups. Rates of clinically significant problems, as measured by HoNOS, differed significantly across groups for most items.

Conclusion: Findings present a complex picture of the relationship between mental health diagnosis, pregnancy or termination of pregnancy, and other stressors experienced around the time of a suicide-related contact with police or paramedics.

Keywords: data linkage; pregnancy; suicidality; suicide crisis; surgical termination of pregnancy.

Abstract

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