The role of personality dimensions and trait anxiety in increasing the likelihood of suicide ideation in women during the perinatal period.

This study aimed to investigate the role of personality dimensions on the occurrence of suicide ideation during the perinatal period.Methods: A longitudinal prospective study was performed in pregnant women who were monitored at university-based obstetrical care units in our county. Recruited women were reassessed between 6 and 8 weeks into their postnatal period. Trait and state anxiety, five-factor based dimensions of personality, and depressive symptoms were assessed using established psychometric measures. Appropriate statistical analyses were conducted, depending on the distribution of variables.Results: Significant levels of state anxiety (33.7% vs. 15.5%), depressive symptoms (19.8% vs. 8.5%), and suicide risk (13.9% vs. 6.3%) have halved in the postnatal period compared to the antenatal assessment. A lower level of education was associated with the presence of postnatal suicide ideation (p = .041), while an unemployed professional status was more frequent in pregnant women presenting antenatal suicide ideation (p = .021). Trait anxiety was predictive for the appearance of suicide ideation within the entire perinatal period assessed (p < .001 and p = .007, respectively). Agreeableness and conscientiousness predicted antenatal suicide ideation (p = .033 and p = .032, respectively).Discussions: Different dimensions of personality may play a contributing role in the development of suicide ideation in perinatal women. Consequently, personality ...
Source: Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology - Category: OBGYN Tags: J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol Source Type: research