Profiles of women participating in an internet-based prenatal mental health platform (HOPE – Healthy Outcomes of Prenatal and Postnatal Experiences)

Abstract

• Two of three women who registered to participate in this Internet-based prenatal mental health platform reported a history of depression or anxiety. • Rates of current probable depression and anxiety were roughly one in four participants. • The prevalence of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in this study was 12.5% which is notably higher than the reported value of 4.4% in the general population. • Concerning rates of abuse, 27.6% with a history of abuse and 23.4% with a history of emotional abuse. • Almost 40% of women reported dissatisfaction with the support the received from their mother in childhood. As mental healthcare expands to web-apps, smartphones, and other technologies, it is important to understand the psychological profiles of women who self-select to participate in perinatal mental health digital platform randomized control trials. There are concerns that those seeking internet-based mental health treatments may not be representative of the general perinatal populations seeking face-to-face treatments resulting in a lack of generalizability. The aim of this study is to describe the demographic and psychological profiles of prenatal women seeking treatment over the internet for mental health concerns as compared to the general perinatal population seeking mental health treatments. This was a descriptive study involving pregnant women across Alberta, Canada, aged 18–47 years old. Profiles were collected through self-report baseline demographics and mental health information using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Antenatal Risk Questionnaire (ANRQ), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21)- Anxiety and Stress Subscales, and Maclean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD). A total of 887 women completed self-reported baseline demographic data and 590 women completed baseline mental health data. Mean age of women was 31.3 years with a mean pregnancy gestational age of 15.3 weeks). A history of depression was reported by 36.3%, a history of anxiety was reported by 20.8% of women, and a history of abuse and emotional abuse was reported in 27.7% and 23.5% of women. At baseline, 57.6% of women had clinically significant mental health risk scores, 24.3% of women had probable minor depression, and mild to moderate levels of anxiety were reported in 23.2% of women. Borderline personality disorder was reported by 12.5% of women. Overall, this sample of pregnant women has prevalence rates of depression, anxiety, and stress that are comparable to those rates found in pregnant women in the general population. This suggests that there is broad utility for and consumer interest in internet-based mental health treatments.