TY - JOUR
T1 - Psychotropic medication use and intimate partner violence at 4 years postpartum
T2 - Results from an Australian pregnancy cohort study
AU - Woolhouse, Hannah
AU - Gartland, Deirdre
AU - Papadopoullos, Sandra
AU - Mensah, Fiona
AU - Hegarty, Kelsey
AU - Giallo, Rebecca
AU - Brown, Stephanie
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019
PY - 2019/5/15
Y1 - 2019/5/15
N2 - Background: In the perinatal period, maternal mental health problems and intimate partner violence often co-occur. We aimed to examine associations between psychotropic medication use and intimate partner violence (IPV) in an Australian population-based sample. Methods: Prospective cohort study of 1507 first-time mothers recruited in early pregnancy (mean gestation 15 weeks) from public maternity hospitals in Melbourne Australia. Follow-up questionnaires at 12 months and four years included validated measures of intimate partner violence (Composite Abuse Scale), and maternal mental health (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, SF-36). Data on use of psychotropic medications was collected using a self-report measure at four years postpartum. Results: At four years postpartum, almost one in eight mothers (13.9%) were taking psychotropic medication. The prevalence of psychotropic medication use in women experiencing concurrent IPV was considerably higher compared to women not experiencing IPV (25% vs 11%, Odds Ratio = 2.68, 95% CI 1.73–4.15). Women experiencing IPV were significantly more likely to be taking psychotropic medication, even after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and depressive symptoms (Adj OR = 1.86, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.96). Only 5% of women reporting IPV at four years postpartum had discussed this with a general practitioner. Limitations: Limitations include use of a self-report measure to assess psychotropic medication use, lack of data on the use of psychological counselling and/or other specialist mental health services and potential for attrition to bias results (addressed using multiple imputation). Conclusions: Our findings reinforce the need for health professionals treating women for depressive symptoms to inquire about IPV and tailor responses accordingly.
AB - Background: In the perinatal period, maternal mental health problems and intimate partner violence often co-occur. We aimed to examine associations between psychotropic medication use and intimate partner violence (IPV) in an Australian population-based sample. Methods: Prospective cohort study of 1507 first-time mothers recruited in early pregnancy (mean gestation 15 weeks) from public maternity hospitals in Melbourne Australia. Follow-up questionnaires at 12 months and four years included validated measures of intimate partner violence (Composite Abuse Scale), and maternal mental health (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, SF-36). Data on use of psychotropic medications was collected using a self-report measure at four years postpartum. Results: At four years postpartum, almost one in eight mothers (13.9%) were taking psychotropic medication. The prevalence of psychotropic medication use in women experiencing concurrent IPV was considerably higher compared to women not experiencing IPV (25% vs 11%, Odds Ratio = 2.68, 95% CI 1.73–4.15). Women experiencing IPV were significantly more likely to be taking psychotropic medication, even after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and depressive symptoms (Adj OR = 1.86, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.96). Only 5% of women reporting IPV at four years postpartum had discussed this with a general practitioner. Limitations: Limitations include use of a self-report measure to assess psychotropic medication use, lack of data on the use of psychological counselling and/or other specialist mental health services and potential for attrition to bias results (addressed using multiple imputation). Conclusions: Our findings reinforce the need for health professionals treating women for depressive symptoms to inquire about IPV and tailor responses accordingly.
KW - Cohort study
KW - Intimate partner violence
KW - Maternal anxiety
KW - Maternal depression
KW - Psychotropic medication
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85063087237&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jad.2019.01.052
DO - 10.1016/j.jad.2019.01.052
M3 - Article
C2 - 30904778
AN - SCOPUS:85063087237
SN - 0165-0327
VL - 251
SP - 71
EP - 77
JO - Journal of Affective Disorders
JF - Journal of Affective Disorders
ER -