Family Mental Health and Pregnancy Outcomes: A Program of Population Research
Perinatal mental health is a relatively new field encompassing ‘the emotional wellbeing of parents and infants from conception to the first two years post-partum’ There is limited local information about the relationship between parental mental health and birth. Population based data is particularly scarce. In particular there is little information to answer the following questions:
1. How many women with history of family mental illness give birth in NSW?
2. What is the impact of parental mental illness on perinatal outcomes?
3. Does pregnancy and birth increase the frequency and severity of mental disorder(s) in parent(s)?
4. Does previous poor mental health in one parent increase the risk of a perinatal mental health episode in the other parent?
This study will use population based linked health and vital registration data from NSW to investigate the relationships between mental health and pregnancy outcomes where mental health is defined as psychiatric illness, substance use and self harming behaviors.
Funding for the study is provided by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC 568892).