Objective: Substance use disorders often coexist with depression. The objective of this study was to establish whether pregnant women who report depressive symptomatology were more likely to report use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana during pregnancy.
Study design: This was a secondary analysis of prospectively collected data from the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network Preterm Prediction Study. Self-reported history of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use was compared between pregnant women with and without depressive symptomatology with adjustment for demographic factors.
Results: After adjustment for demographic factors, women with depressive symptomatology were more likely to report: any alcohol use (odds ratio [OR]: 1.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1-1.8), >1 drink per week (OR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.0-1.8), and >1 drink per day (OR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.5-3.4). Women with depressive symptomatology were also more likely to report use of marijuana (OR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.2-2.6) and cigarettes (OR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1-1.7).
Conclusion: Depressive symptomatology was associated with an increase in self-reported the use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana during pregnancy. These data reveal the importance of targeted screening of pregnant women with depressive symptomatology for substance use.
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