Pain and Depression Symptoms During the Third Trimester of Pregnancy.
Julie Vignato, Yelena Perkhounkova, Ann Marie McCarthy and 1 others
PMID 32956168WHAT IT FOUND
Moderate-to-severe third-trimester pain was common, and 44.2% of women with severe pain had moderate-to-severe depression symptoms, versus 3.7% with no or mild pain.
Key findings
0179.6% reported moderate to severe worst pain, but only 42.4% received pain treatment and 27.3% received pain medication.
0244.2% of women with severe pain reported moderate-to-severe depression symptoms, versus 3.7% of women with no or mild pain.
03Pain interfered with function for 68.9% of women, and higher depression symptoms were associated with pain interference.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that pain caused depression, that depression caused pain, or that treating pain would improve depression. Women were recruited through a pregnancy app and were not randomly selected, so possible selection bias. Of the 158 women who submitted the survey, 132 completed all instruments and were analysed. The Brief Pain Inventory was not vetted for pregnancy. The sample was mostly White (68.2%) and English-speaking US women in the third trimester, so results may not apply to other groups. The authors said the cross-sectional design did not allow predictive and comprehensive analyses.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the association between severe pain and depression symptoms as proof that treating pain will improve mood. The study measured symptoms at one time point in an app-based sample and did not test any treatment.