A new study from researchers with Western University, Brescia University College and Lawson Health Research Institute has found a link between depression and substance use during pregnancy.
According to researchers, data showed that depression is the single largest driver of substance use during pregnancy.
“Pregnant women who were depressed were 2.6 times more likely to use cannabis and twice as likely to smoke cigarettes and use alcohol while pregnant,” said Dr. Jamie Seabrook, an associate professor with Brescia and Western and a scientist at Children’s Health Research Institute.
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Seabrook added that such substance use creates a big risk for poor maternal and infant health outcomes.
First author on the study Rachel Brown says the research’s findings highlight the importance of mental health programming tailored to pregnant women.
“To intervene or advocate for mental health programs for the mom, the idea is that it sets up the health of the infants later on in life,” Brown added.
The research was gathered from a retrospective cohort study of more than 25,000 pregnant women from southwestern Ontario, with a mean maternal age of 29.4.
Data on the women studied was pulled from perinatal and neonatal databases at a tertiary hospital in London, Ont.
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