History of Concussion May Increase Severe Maternal Mental Illness

FRIDAY, Nov. 15, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Pregnant people with a history of concussion have an increased risk for severe maternal mental illness after delivery, according to a study published online Nov. 4 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Samantha Krueger, from the University of Toronto, and colleagues conducted a population-based cohort study of individuals with a singleton livebirth between 2007 and 2017 followed up to 2021 to examine the association between predelivery history of concussion and risk for severe maternal mental illness. The primary outcome of severe maternal mental illness was defined as a psychiatric emergency department visit, psychiatric hospital admission, or self-harm or suicide, assessed for 14 years after delivery.

Data were included for 18,064 individuals with a history of concussion and 736,689 without. The researchers found that the risk for severe maternal mental illness was increased for those with a history of concussion versus those without (14.7 versus 7.9 per 1,000 person-years; adjusted hazard ratio, 1.25). The association was strongest among individuals with no history of mental illness (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.33).

“These clinical considerations could address the association between predelivery history of concussion and severe maternal mental illness and potentially decrease the incidence of these important outcomes,” the authors write.

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