The British Journal of Psychiatry (2008) 193: 455-460. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.108.055079
© 2008 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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Pregnancy loss and psychiatric disorders in young women: an Australian birth cohort study

Kaeleen Dingle, MPH and Rosa Alati, PhD

School of Population Health

Alexandra Clavarino, PhD

School of Pharmacy

Jake M. Najman, PhD

School of Population Health and School of Social Science

Gail M. Williams, PhD

School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Correspondence: Kaeleen Dingle, Level 2, Public Health Building, School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Herston Road, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia. Email: s4002827{at}student.uq.edu.au

Declaration of interest

None. Funding detailed in Acknowledgements.

Background

Recent evidence has linked induced abortion with later adverse psychiatric outcomes in young women.

Aims

To examine whether abortion or miscarriage are associated with subsequent psychiatric and substance use disorders.

Method

A sample (n=1223) of women from a cohort born between 1981 and 1984 in Australia were assessed at 21 years for psychiatric and substance use disorders and lifetime pregnancy histories.

Results

Young women reporting a pregnancy loss had nearly three times the odds of experiencing a lifetime illicit drug disorder (excluding cannabis): abortion odds ratio (OR)=3.6 (95% CI 2.0–6.7) and miscarriage OR=2.6 (95% CI 1.2–5.4). Abortion was associated with alcohol use disorder (OR=2.1, 95% CI 1.3–3.5) and 12-month depression (OR=1.9, 95% CI 1.1–3.1).

Conclusions

These findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that pregnancy loss per se, whether abortion or miscarriage, increases the risk of a range of substance use disorders and affective disorders in young women.


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